Tuesday, October 05, 2010

The starling progresses

Loved all the comments about starlings. Vivika's comment was great, comparing starlings to humans—"WE are introduced species that are noisy and pushy, often thriving at the expense of the natives and frequently taking more than our fair share..." Dolores said my starling does not look like the ones she is familiar with. Interesting thing about starlings. It seems they molt in the heat of the late summer and the new feathers come in with white tips, which wear off by spring. So the spotted look is their fall and winter appearance and by spring they are dark and iridescent.. Probably more than any of us wanted to know.

I finished fusing the fabric for the bird and cut him out from the black. I started trying out different backgrounds.







These are not inspiring me.

This gold color seems better.






I think this last one is it. I decided to add a little more color to the leafy background, then I fused the bird in place and started stitching. The stitching really helps to "blend" those different fabrics together.


Nearly finished. I need to trim and finish the edges, then attach it to the canvas.

14 comments:

  1. I really loved getting inside your head to discover your thought process in choosing the background. I agree that you chose the perfect match for this new bird, who looks real enough to take flight and start squawking! My Joseph bird may well need a noisy companion.

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  2. I like this project a lot. I really love all the fabrics you've incorporated into a basically single color bird. Your starling is just too pretty not to like, and the idea of an auction of bird art for the Audobon Society is creative and exciting. I'd love to see all teh artwork together!

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  3. Terry, this is gorgeous. I would have chosen the same background fabric you did ... and your extra coloration really added pop! Yum.

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  4. Your bird is absolutely stunning down to the beautiful details in the stitching and the eye. Love this so much. I think you are on to something here.

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  5. Hope this will improve the starlings' reputation.
    Beautiful!

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  6. I love reading about the process that you are going through to create this - it is very helpful for those of us that are just moving beyond the safety of patchwork!! The stitching gave him a nice depth. thank you.

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  7. Anonymous7:11 AM

    Beautiful, I look forward to seeing the end product. Lizzie

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  8. Love the eye on that guy, although I thought it better without the stitching, which makes him (her?) rather more benign. While I can't object to starlings (wannabe crows? which are wannabee ravens?) I do find them less than respectful of us humans, who want our birds to be darling tweet-tweets.

    I also enjoyed the description of the changing patterns of the starling. Didn't know that -- it's my new bit of knowledge for the day.

    Well done!

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  9. Just had to pop in and say, what a beautiful piece.
    Love the fabrics and background you choose.

    Debbie

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  10. This is a technical question but how do you attach this to the canvas? Love the bird!
    Kelly McMichael

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  11. I am so in love with your Starling. You found beauty in a rather plain bird. The ones around here are just rusty black. Perhaps it is the season they are here.
    When we had a bookstore, a customer ordered Arnie the Darling Starling. The book became a best seller in our little store. Did you know Starlings can talk?
    The link below will take you to a description of the book.
    http://www.amazon.com/Arnie-Darling-Starling-Margarete-Corbo/dp/0395343909

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  12. I've always liked starlings myself. They're lively, sociable and seem intelligent. I never thought of them as pretty, but yours has changed my mind. Terrific piece.

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  13. Anonymous7:39 PM

    Ab-so-lute-ly stunning!! I love it! Really well done.

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