Spring like

A couple of days ago the weather was actually nice enough that I could run outside instead of on the treadmill.  While running, I spotted my first robin!  Finally!  Even though there is still a lot of snow on the ground, it is starting to feel like spring outside.  The sun is higher and stronger in the sky, the days are longer and the birds are singing away.  That afternoon after my run, I had the strong urge to do a very spring like painting.
I thought I would share with you how I did it.  I knew I wanted to do a bird painting,  I initially thought pussy willows and gold finch, but as the painting evolved, my painting changed.



Going into the painting I knew what my color palette was going to be:  pastel colors:  pink, green, yellow, aqua and bits of orange.  I started with the pink first, different shades of pink mixed with white.
 


I then painted different shades of aqua over the pink, making sure to let some pink peek through.(I forgot to take a picture of just the pink and blue)  I then used a brayer for the lime green and white, again allowing the other colors to come through.



 My next color I wanted was yellow, so I used an old credit card to apply it in various areas.



I then collaged all sorts of bits of paper onto it trying to keep the elements in the palette I wanted, bits of tea bags, old paper doilies, old text, old wrapping paper and books.  This is where I added a little bit of orange here and there. This is when I felt it was really starting to come together. 



My bird changed from a gold finch to a blue bird!  I collaged the little guy out of painted coffee filters.  I initially drew him out in my sketchbook and then transferred the drawing onto the painting.  With the change of the bird I decided to go with cherry blossoms instead of pussy willows.  I thought it brought out the bits of pink from the background.  Again these were collaged from painted coffee filters.



Almost done here, the flowers are in place and the branches were cut from tea bags.  Very close to being finished, it just needs a few finishing touches to make it "pop".



Ta da!  Very spring isn't it!