Wired Murmurations

 Many of the difference in the U.S. and Philippines can be symbolized by the arrangement of our power lines.  Here is an example I observed in Manila.  

Power lines and telephone wires and their interaction with birds have always fascinated me.  In fact, observing that phenomena as a young child is the first place I remember thinking about the concept of "personal space."  There seems to be a rhythm to how the birds sit together- whether close or far away.  And there does always seem to be one that breaks that pattern by either sitting too close or further away.  I find the rhythm and the display of the bird's physique against the backdrop of the sky particularly appealing and have I have painted those scenes numerous times.

"Congregation"

41 x 73

Do you notice birds on wires or is it just me?

Friends come and go but sisters are forever (who takes your "nervous away"?

 

I'm in awe of the sisterly bond of my wife and her two sisters.  I've watched in amazement at how well they get along and how they are constantly looking for ways to help and nurture each other.  Maybe the result of losing their mother at a young age?  

I'm also intrigued by the complex relationship of my daughters.  I've never seen two more different siblings, but I love to think of the story of the first day Emmaline went to elementary school after Savannah had moved on to middle school.  She looked at my wife in dismay and said, "I miss Savannah.  She takes all the nervous away."  
Do you have someone like that? As we all move into the hustle and bustle of this season of the year, I hope you find your person to take the nervous away and are reminded of that feeling as you look at my "sisters" pieces.
-Tyler

Is this the most overlooked tree?

Today I dropped my son off at the Missionary Training Center where he will spend a couple of weeks before heading off to Cincinnati, Ohio to serve for the next two years.  Since this is our third child to "fly the coop"- it is filled with a mixture of excitement as well as nostalgia.  He made a final visit to my painting studio.  When he was young, he thought it was the stuff of dreams.  We reminisced about him bringing all of his friends over after school one day for a play date and the time he wanted to have a sleepover there and we stayed up late into the night shooting BB guns in the back. I remember waking up in the middle of that night to his laughing in his sleep.  

 

As I spend the evening watching old movies of his youth, I hope you can enjoy a re-posting about my thoughts on this painting from the archives of my old blog.  I’ll be back to original content next week.

 

 

“Catalpa” 

60 x48

 

I have always loved these overlooked trees. Rarely have a I ever seen this tree on the "right side of the tracks". Usually it is the tree that springs up in the poorest neighborhoods (some of which are becoming more desirable). I have seen it growing right up through the middle, and out the window of a row-house in southeast Washington, DC and in slag piles in Oakland, CA.

Unfortunately, I often see their naturally, characteristic conical crowns, truncated for overhead power lines. Their beautiful blooms, huge leaves, and the long bean pods (seen in the painting), have always drawn my attention.

 

Do you love an early snowfall? (Finding beauty in the moment)

 

An early snowfall reminds me of the times when my parents lived in Fallon, Nevada for a few years.  If you haven't visited, to get there- you drive out into the middle of nowhere, then take a dirt road into an even farther nowhere.  However, fun fact- Fallon is the home to the U.S. Navy-Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN).  My dad worked there for a few years and my young family and I made the trek quite often, particularly around Thanksgiving and Christmas.

I spotted the little sparrow in this painting on a branch, at a truck stop, in the dead of winter on one such road trip.  I'm not a huge fan of winter, and this is a reminder to me that there is beauty all around us, if we just take a moment to stop and observe.

Where have you found beauty in an unexpected place?