Blue Bird of Paradise
by Phil Chadwick
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Dimensions
18.000 x 14.000 x 0.875 inches
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Title
Blue Bird of Paradise
Artist
Phil Chadwick
Medium
Painting - Oil On Canvas
Description
I have constructed several hundred Peterson Blue Bird houses in my time. There were always construction scraps to turn into something useful. Waste not and want not. The northwest corner of King Township north of Toronto and the Greenbelt has most of those boxes but there are still a hundred within the Singleton Sanctuary. All varieties of birds enjoy the Peterson Blue Birdhouse design. (https://www.familyhandyman.com/project/build-a-bluebird-house/) When my workshop was functional, there would be twenty or more Peterson boxes in construction. There were jigs set up to make every cut perfect. The reward was to see several broods emerge from each Peterson Blue Birdhouse every summer. With climate change, the bluebirds are now year-round residents at Singleton Lake and seem to survive on the cones of red cedars. Bluebirds have been known to live for a decade so the birds that inhabit the sanctuary know us well.
Blue Bird is supposed to be one word but the two words in the title ensure that the name of this painting is unique. I used a photo taken by my friend John Verburg for this painting. The bluebird sparkled against the autumn colours of the edge of the forest.
By the 1970s, bluebird numbers had declined by estimates ranging to 70 percent. The widespread use of pesticides was certainly a cause. However, unsuccessful competition with invasive species such as house sparrows and starlings is also cited. These birds all compete for nesting cavities. The unspoken elephant in the room is the widespread and serious decline in habitat both in amount and quality. An upsurge in bluebird numbers starting in the 1990s can be attributed largely to a movement of volunteers establishing and maintaining bluebird trails. Cornell University's Laboratory of Ornithology reports bluebird sightings across the southern U.S. as part of its yearly Backyard Bird Count, something that we participate in at Singleton Lake.
I was still thinking of the birds of prey and the countless other species that call this portion of the Frontenac Arch Biosphere home as I painted. We are very fortunate to see every day in the Singleton Sanctuary.
The bluebird is also the inspiration for many songs - not just paintings. "Bluebird of Happiness" is a song composed in 1934. "Bluebird" is another song written by Stephen Stills and recorded by the rock band Buffalo Springfield in 1967. It contains the lyrics "There she sits aloft at perch. Strangest colour blue."
Uploaded
February 29th, 2024
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Comments (4)
Maria Faria Rodrigues
Congratulations, Phil, on FEATURED ART OF THE WEEK, in 'Red Maple Gallery', homepage group, of Fine Art America!
Maria Faria Rodrigues
Congratulations, Phil, on FEATURED ART OF THE WEEK, in ‘Ontario Canada’, group, of Fine Art America!
Bruce Morrison
Love the rich colors Phil and the light catching of the eye. We too have put many houses out over the years...in 2021 and 2022 we had no Bluebirds show up on the acreage to nest...then last summer were rejoicing at having 2 pairs nest here again! Then on nesting box was torn into during he night by Raccoons...ripped the roof off far enough to extract the entire nest. Thankfully the other nest succeeded. I've noticed many changes in recent years here. Certain birds that were "always" present are no more...and the weather is no longer what it was either...we keep hanging on and trying to lend a hand in any tiny efforts we can muster. Hoping for our Bluebirds to return again this spring. Thank you for lifting our spirits!
Phil Chadwick replied:
Thank you Bruce...I share your concerns and observations... and continue to build and erect bird houses. The environment is changing faster than we could have ever imagined. The summer birds have already returned to Singleton (March 1st), The natural synchronization between birds, broods, bugs, trees (all of the natural world) is likely to be out of step but no one really knows how this will all play out. The climate has not been here before while humans were on the planet. Keep painting and trying to make a difference my friend.
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