Community Bluebird

Community Bluebird

©2011 Patrise Henkel – $150.00

Garden Life 1 was painted at my Community Garden in late March, when the bluebirds were first setting up their households for the season.

Eastern Bluebirds are highly encouraged to settle in the garden, particularly because of their prodigious bug eating capacity. They especially like young caterpillars, which is most helpful to us.

Bluebirds are selective and easily crowded out by other species. They need edge forest and open field areas to thrive. The nesting box you see is built and hung to their exacting specifications. They are the state bird of Maryland.

But most of all, they are lovely. There is a fugitive quality to the blue in uncertain light. You detect a flash of some unlikely colour, and then the bird pauses in good light and you may catch your breath, because they are really, really blue. For a moment. Until they are gone.

And, of course, they are somewhat mythical. It is my belief that no one can be truly unhappy if the bluebird lands on their garden gate.

I am especially pleased how the under-painting shows the grainy character of the black locust fence posts, the wire fence and the bare soil of the early spring garden.