Lately I’ve gone from painting dead birds to live ones!
My teacup birds, while quite whimsical in concept, are a really about putting some life into the still life genre. I love the layers of artifice that go into these pieces, There’s the teacup artist’s interpretation of a flower and then my re-interpretation of that as well as my careful observation of the real flowers in their corresponding teacup that I’ve arranged in the low afternoon sun that comes streaming in my studio windows.
Then I coax a bird to land on my vignette while I snap a picture. Yes, I wish. I must rely on my growing collection of photos that I take myself as well as some other photo references which I combine with my own work and obscure beyond any point of possible copyright infringement. I need to invest in some more feeders – but I’m not beyond stalking the neighbor’s feeders. I find mornings are best! Although I’ve paused while writing this to take shots of junkos with my telephoto out here on the patio with my feet up on the fire pit and my laptop on my lap! Now if that humming bird will just come back for my pommegranate blossoms – no such luck!
Here are some of my better birding moments, not all teacup appropriate, but you never know…
![Spotted Towhee (male) - photo Marie Cameron 2014 Spotted Towhee (male) - photo Marie Cameron 2014](http://mariecameronstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Spotted-Towhee-photo-Marie-Cameron-2014.jpg)
Spotted Towhee – Los Gatos
![Purple House Finch (male and female) - photo Marie Cameron 2013 Purple House Finch (male and female) - photo Marie Cameron 2013](http://mariecameronstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Purple-House-Finch-photo-Marie-Cameron-2013.jpg)
Purple House Finch – Carpinteria
![Oregon Junko (male) - photo Marie Cameron 2014 Oregon Junko (male) - photo Marie Cameron 2014](http://mariecameronstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Oregon-Junko-photo-Marie-Cameron-2014.jpg)
Oregon Junko – Los Gatos
![Lesser Goldfinch (male) - photo Marie Cameron 2014 Lesser Goldfinch (male) - photo Marie Cameron 2014](http://mariecameronstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Lesser-Goldfinch-male-photo-Marie-Cameron-2014.jpg)
Lesser Goldfinch (male) – Los Gatos
![Lesser Goldfinch (female) - photo Marie Cameron 2014 Lesser Goldfinch (female) - photo Marie Cameron 2014](http://mariecameronstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Lesser-Goldfinch-female-photo-Marie-Cameron-2014.jpg)
Lesser Goldfinch (female) – Los Gatos
![Anna's Hummingbird - photo Marie Cameron 2013 Anna's Hummingbird - photo Marie Cameron 2013](http://mariecameronstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Annas-Hummingbird-photo-Marie-Cameron-2013.jpg)
Anna’s Hummingbird – Los Gatos
![Stellar's Jay - photo Marie Cameron 2014 Stellar's Jay - photo Marie Cameron 2014](http://mariecameronstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Stellars-Jay-photo-Marie-Cameron-2014.jpg)
Steller’s Jay – Los Gatos
![Starling and Cherry Blossoms - photo Marie Cameron 2013 Starling and Cherry Blossoms - photo Marie Cameron 2013](http://mariecameronstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Starling-and-Cherry-Blossoms-photo-Marie-Cameron-2013.jpg)
Starling- Santa Cruz
![Gulls by the Bay Bridge - photo Marie Cameron 2014 Gulls by the Bay Bridge - photo Marie Cameron 2014](http://mariecameronstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Gulls-by-the-Bay-Bridge-photo-Marie-Cameron-2014.jpg)
Seagulls – San Francisco
![Sulphur Crested Cockatoo - photo Marie Cameron 2013 Sulphur Crested Cockatoo - photo Marie Cameron 2013](http://mariecameronstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Sulphur-Crested-Cockatoo-photo-Marie-Cameron-2013.jpg)
Sulphur Crested Cockatoo – Santa Barbara
![Black Swan - photo Marie Cameron 2014 Black Swan - photo Marie Cameron 2014](http://mariecameronstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Black-Swan-photo-Marie-Cameron-2014.jpg)
Black Swan – Santa Barbara
![Peacock - photo Marie Cameron 2012 Peacock - photo Marie Cameron 2012](http://mariecameronstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Peacock-photo-Marie-Cameron-2012.jpg)
Peacock – Cupertino
![Albino Peacock - photo Marie Cameron 2014 Albino Peacock - photo Marie Cameron 2014](http://mariecameronstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Albino-Peacock-photo-Marie-Cameron-20141.jpg)
Albino Peacock – Ayelsford
![Flamingo - photo Marie Cameron Flamingo - photo Marie Cameron](http://mariecameronstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Flamingo-photo-Marie-Cameron.jpg)
Flamingo – Oakland