My Backyard Bird Battle

I have a situation in my backyard. It has happened before but this time the opponent is being more persistent. We have an awning on the back of our home that can be manually cranked out to extend and cover the back patio. It has been there a few years and we as a family have enjoyed it. Part of the mechanism has a built in cover that acts like a roof to protect it while not in use. When the awning is rolled up and under the cover a cozy little space is made for birds to fly into and start creating nests.

A fist full of finch nest

Number 8 and counting

This Spring I am at odds with Mr. and Mrs. Finch. This feathered couple has been trying to build a home in that cozy area for a few weeks. I have taken down at least 8 nests and as I’m typing I see them through the sliding glass door flying to the awning and continuing the building process.

So it is the Finches vs. Chris Irwin, birds vs. man, finch vs. Goliath, mono a mono. I say this in jest because I do love these birds. Our backyard has bird houses and a feeder and I enjoy watching the different kinds of birds come and go. Especially when they go to my vegetable gardens to get bugs and ‘help’ me raise something good to eat. Nature is a beautiful and inspiring thing to see. There is something to watching life move and grow around you.

My defense against the finches

dangit, they found another way in

(notice the painters tape I used)

So what have I learned? Mr. and Mrs. Finch are persistent, consistent, a team, driven, hard working, and I could come up with a few more if I thought more about it. Many life lessons coming from these feathery foes in my backyard. Who will prevail? I hope it is me because I like using the awning.

In the end may I be persistent, consistent, a team player with my wife, driven, and hard working with my art and the journey it will take me.

How about you?

Blessings to you all.

My attempt to help the Finches

Will they go for It?

One Shot

Seventeen years ago as a new home owner I was learning what it meant to take care of a new property. There were all the normal things to do like painting rooms, caulking cracks, plumbing, new landscaping, and a larger yard for cutting the grass. I was “king” of my domain until I was invaded by a petulance that I didn’t expect. The dreaded cicada. If you don’t know, the cicada is a large six legged winged insect that lies dormant underground until warm weather hits. In my back yard there are three large trees and unknown to me at that time, a cicada breading ground surrounded all three. They do come out every summer but during a seventeen year cycle there is what is called the brood which is the mother load of cicada birthing.

IMG_2462.jpg

What I learned recently was that nearly 272 years ago, in 1749, a young free black man named Benjamin Banneker (1731–1806) of Maryland witnessed a different crowd of cicadas throng and that they would “sing” on his 100-acre homestead. He is credited with with the bug’s life cycle and accurately predict the brood’s return in 1800.

Benjamin Benneker.PNG

You might think ‘ewe’ or ‘yuck’ because it’s a big bug, but I have found a fondness for these singing insects and have observed a few lessons in just watching them.


While working in the back yard a lone cicada started to crawl up my leg (and it kind of tickled). I picked him off and put him on my hand and whatever direction I pointed my hand the cicada would turn and always try to go up.

The lesson, no matter where life takes you always go forward and stay positive. Keep going up.


There are spots in the back yard that are so heavy with the cicada the ground moves and the little cocoon shells they come out of are laying everywhere. Even attached to the house, plants, and shed.

The lesson, make an impact with your life. Saturate the sphere of influence with the gifts and talents given to you.


Looking out the back windows of my house and into the yard all kinds of birds and other animals come and feast on the thousands of cicada that are there. It’s a natural buffet for all who come and still the cicada thrive in numbers with this against them.

The lesson, you got One Shot. Despite the hardships go and create life that will inspire and strengthen the next generation.

17_year_cicada_-_brood_x.jpeg

Over the past centuries the brood have come in a timely fashion doing there natural way of things. Going forward and always going up, saturating and making an impact, and creating life for the next generation. What positive wisdom I have been able to gain from this little flying bug. May we all have some of the cicada way of life.

Blessings to you

New Paint Mosaics For The Year

A Little Paint Mosaic History

Howdy art friends! I hope thing are healthy and well for you. I've been working hard on the next series of paintings using dried up paint pieces.

In the beginning I attempted to reuse these dried paint scraps out of necessity because I was very wasteful in how I used the paint. Now the making, drying, and scraping of the pieces is part of the creative process. Each painting is made up of different color combinations that make it unique to itself.

Below is the 'Shark Eye Shell'. It was inspired by hermit crab shells that I own. The color pallet for the series is mostly whites, blues, and greens of the ocean. The affect is a colorful crusty shell that brings enjoyment to the eye.

Shark Eye Seas.jpg

One of the things that I have learned about this style of art for me is that it is a bit like how I see life. It can feel dried up and wasted. It takes some extra effort to scrape up what you have left to get going again. Then you find out that what you thought was a waste is actually beautiful in a special way.

Blessings

2020 In Review

What a year we all have had to experience. It's not what I expected, planned, or asked for, but I look back and some good things did happen for my art.

Soroptimist Int'l.jpg

A First Time

2020 brought the opportunity to donate funds through art sales for the first time. I was able to give proceeds to the Soroptimist International of Havre de Grace. An organization that works to improve the lives of girls and women through programs leading to social and economic empowerment.

120716807_1302695716757686_7684544022037670961_o.jpg

Festivals and

Events

Despite having delays, cancelations, and quarantine I was still able to get out there and participate in Annapolis, Baltimore, and Havre de Grace, Maryland. The art community as well as I had to adapt to the circumstances and be willing for flexibility.

ThatIMayShareInHisBlessings%2824x36%29crop2.jpg

A New Series

My Flower Song series was a step away from the seaside themed paintings. For me it was a nice stretch in another direction to widen the topics that I create. To add flowers with religious reference to the human experience is something I've wanted to do and I think I may end up revisiting this type of spiritual art.

IMG_1857.JPG

Lights, Camera, Action

For the first time I was involved in a documentary that told the story of the journey of missionaries to the country of Japan. My part was to express the story through painting and have it filmed to add a unique visual to its telling. This was fun and hopefully it will be something that I can continue in the coming months of 2021.

IMG_1993+%282%29.jpg

A New Word

For 2021 I plan on doing some things differently with C Irwin Design. The focus will be on a word that I chose to inspire me for the months ahead. PIVOT, to turn, rotate, or swivel is my word this year. My hope is to be more open to what will be needed as an artist businessman and to turn in the direction that brings the best benefits to me, my family, and my patrons.

Thank you for your continued support and following. Blessings to you on your journey of 2021.

My Lost Joy

My Lost Joy

Stories behind the paintings and where I found my place

Recently I came across a video of a very happy dog playing in a big puddle of a backyard. Enthusiastically, recklessly, and with vigor this big puppy splashed and danced his way through the wet mud.

I've come to learn that this is Stevie the Labrador who has a disability called cerebellar hypoplasia. It's an inadequate development of the cerebellum, a section of the brainstem largely responsible for modulating motor impulses. Affected dogs and cats therefore fail to move normally, especially when it comes to maintaining normal balance, posture, and coordination (Click on Stevie's pic below and it will take you to a video and article that The Dodo did on him).

Stevie the puddle jumper

Stevie the puddle jumper

This disability has not stopped Stevie from enjoying the wet mess that he prances into and around. His 'personal' circumstances haven't stopped him from enjoying this little bit of life in his back yard.

When I first saw Stevie in the puddle it brought a smile and a chuckle so I watched him again. and again. I realized I have puddles in my life and one in particular I haven't splashed in recently; it was my art. 

mail.jpg

It's not that I haven't been involved in my artwork or creating new things and planning new ideas. Ninety nine percent of my art is with business in mind, calculating production, time tables, marketing aspects, and planning that sucks the life out of the art. It has become agenda driven to keep things less messy. My business thinking and circumstances keep me away from the puddle and I felt that I have lost the joy of creating. At least a good portion of it.

So for me its time to find a puddle of art and splash and dance in it. To go in whole heartedly. Without calculations, plans, timelines, and cost. Without worry of the mess but to dance freely with my brush and paint and not let my personal circumstances curb the outcome. Do you have a puddle you need to dance in today?

Blessings

mail (1).jpg

In a Phthalocyanine Blue Mood

On the lighter side of things I have found myself in blue mood. I’m not sad, shaken, or depressed but my painting has been dealing with a phase in using a certain blue hue. You would think with my ‘by the sea’ style of scenes that I would use a marine blue, a Prussian blue, and maybe a cobalt blue( just laying some artsy color terms on you). What I’ve been using is a blue called phthalocyanine blue.

IMG_1632.jpg

PHTHALOCYANINE BLUE, also known as monastral blue, is a copper organic blue dyestuff that was developed by chemists under the trade name, "monastral blue" pigment in London, November 1935, claiming that it was the most important blue discovery since Prussian blue in 1704, and artificial ultramarine, in 1824, and was a superior pigment to both. Supposedly it is a very pure blue for it absorbs light almost completely except for the green and blue bands.

IMG_E1648.jpg

I have found that it comes across with a richness in tone and brings a visual fullness when I’m painting the background or sky in the scene, It also mixes well with the other colors that I use regularly, like burnt sienna, pure white, and paynes gray. When I layer colors over top a great depth shows through because of how beautiful this blue is, well, blue.

IMG_1626.jpg

I have used the phthalocyanine blue in all of the latest paintings of my Flower Song series. The pictures you see are from the final five paintings in the series and will be available by the end of September. So if in the future you here that an artist is in blue mood, it might not be a bad thing. It could just be that he has cracked open a different tube of blue.

Blessings

Find Your Place- "If someone had to die, I thought it should be me"

For the past six plus months it has been an experience that I have never had before.  I'm sure you feel the same way.  My planning for 2020 was looking good and I was getting some high expectations just thinking about it.  It all changed by a virus I can't see.  Adding to the mood  was a tragic death, protests, and then riots. It seemed every day I was getting bad news.  My thoughts were starting to wonder how things were going to turn out and whats going to happen to the younger generations.

6-year-old-boy-saves-little-sister-from-dog-attack-1-5f0ff1a721e13__700.jpg

Then a glimmer of light happened a few days ago.  A glimmer of real love.  You might of heard about it.  A young boy defends his sister from a dog attack.  His name is Bridger Walker.  

The story goes that Bridger and his sister were over a friends home playing and they went outside to the backyard.  A mean dog that was there charged Bridger's sister and he put himself between her and the dog.  When it was over he was severely bit but his sister was safe.  A hard situation for a little boy but very inspiring and full of love in the way he acted.

Bridger with his scars and rock collection

Bridger with his scars and rock collection

 'If someone had to die, I thought it should be me"...

Bridger's own words tell us about love. The love and care he has for his sister and life for others.  To have such words come from him means that you have thought about it before. Wandered about it and connected it to another person which is very selfless. And Bridger didn't just have words of love, but acted it out.

'I stepped to the side, in front of my sister so that the dog wouldn’t get her. I kept moving, so it couldn’t get past.' 

I put to much emphasis in the love that makes me feel good. Why? Its just easier and there is no pain. Bridger showed the greater love he had which was self sacrifice.  His love brought him pain and scars. It wasn't comfortable in the moment the dog mauled him. And the love will be a lifetime of remembering every time he looks in the mirror.  But I say to myself "isn't this where true love shows up, in the hard places".

Capt America and boy.PNG

Bridger's self sacrificing love didn't just come from within him, but also from without.  He is a big super heroes fan and a lover of the Avengers.  The movies inspired him to recognize what a hero is and does.  To love, to sacrifice, to save, and to stand up for what is good against evil.
Through conversations with Chris Evans and others this little boys actions inspired the actors themselves and me also. I have the Instagram post of one of the conversations from Bridger and Chris.
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CCrmxv1gTek/?utm_source=ig_embed 

My take away is that there is some real love and hope for the future generations.  There are young Bridger's who will love great and stand in the gap between what is good and evil for loves sake.
'Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends.'

My hope is that my words and actions can reflect the same as an artist, a father, a husband, and a friend.

Have a great day and blessings.

Stop And Smell The Flowers

My stories behind the paintings and where I found my space

"a space, area, or spot, set apart or used for a particular purpose".  

IMG_1256+%281%29.jpg

During the beginning of the year is when I started painting the first of two possible series.  I usually have many ideas planned and thought through. I think about subject matter, sizes, cost, time, story, and over all fit for my art and business.

In January of 2020  I was seriously wrestling with some other ideas.  The corona pandemic also pushed me to a new place of creating.  I decided to step away from my usual themes of the water and coast to try a different topic. I wanted to make something with an abstract spiritual message about us as people.  What I came up with and started was a flower series that represented man and some of the human conditions we deal with as a whole.

IMG_1392.jpg

I wanted to portray the beauty we have as individuals, as a community, and the limited time we have to live well.  To sing, to feel alone, to find what energizes and refreshes us are some of the topics I'm trying to say with these paintings.  One of the cooler things about this series is the visual inspiration came from a photo shoot I did with my daughter, Brittany.  She is a photographer and loves to capture moments.  In my neighborhood there is a retired couple who have multiple lily plants that are well kept and labeled.  From those photos I've formed my ideas on what to paint. 

My plan is to have a total of thirteen paintings in this series and it will be completed in two installments. I have eight going into production first and they should be ready by the end of June.  With this new topic I hope it will give some courage and say how beautifully precious all of us are.

My art family, thanks for reading and your support.  Stay safe and live well.

Blessings  

Finding My Space- Making Your Bed

Making Your Bed

My stories behind the paintings and where I found my space

"a space, area, or spot, set apart or used for a particular purpose".  

During one of my recent days I was doing my normal administrative tasks for my C Irwin Design business. I was going through emails, checking updates for events, and looking over the social media sites.  On one of the sites it said I "have reached an accomplisment by receiving 200 likes".  I felt a small yippee as well as feeling a little underwhelmed.

"The successful achievement of a task"


It was a small accomplishment.  I wasn't super happy about it because part of my business model is to see how other artist businesses are doing, how I compare,and make changes if necessary. So I check in on certain ones now and again.  When I do sometimes it's depressing because of how much greater their numbers are compared to mine.  More likes, more reviews, more referrals, more sales, more of everything. I had to stop and take a breath and try to put some objectivity to this.

"An activity that a person can do well, typically as a result of study or practice"

As I look at my art, business, and why I do creative art I was taken back to a video I saw some years ago. It was a commencement speech at Texas University for the class of 2014.  The speaker is Admiral McRaven, a passed graduate. As I watched it again I was reminded of the daily work, trials, and accomplishments of what we do are important.  It can really resonate with our character and why we are here as individuals and as a community.  The video was inspiring and I was encouraged by the small "200 likes" accomplishment that I had obtained.  Click on the Admirals picture below to see and I hope that you also feel lifted up after watching.

Blessings

Behind The Painting-Whats In A Name

My stories behind the paintings and where I found my space

"a space, area, or spot, set apart or used for a particular purpose". 

"So Chris, what are the letters on the bottom of your paintings? What is this CEI thing?"
I was asked this at a surprise birthday party of a good friend of mine.  I just take it for granted, assuming that using my initials as my signature would be an obvious sign of ownership. So in order to provide some insight I wanted to share a little background on my "CEI".
  

The first time I started to use my initials was during my college years.  While learning about different crafts, styles, and techniques for painting and other art forms I was also learning about the importance of a signature. The approach to signing the finished piece is just as important as the approach to the painting itself. I experimented with writing my full name, last name, and initials. I decided to stick with signing just my initials because it was quick and simple, I wasn't very good at painting my full name or carving it in clay and wood so I started to use "CEI".

Oil painting of an Indonesian boy I did in college

Oil painting of an Indonesian boy I did in college

The linear style of the letters came from the type of tools I used during college.  While painting I loved using flat head brushes.  I enjoyed working in an impressionistic style that manipulated the edge in a block like fashion. I tend to paint quickly and try not to be hindered by too much realism allowing imagination to guide what one sees.  It turned out to be the easiest way to mark my work when I completed the piece.  

IMG_1165.jpg

In my recent paintings I did experiment with something different, but decided in the end to keep the original signature in order to stay consistent within my brand. It was like upholding a tradition or a form of history. This also lead me to keep my initials in the lower right area of the canvas for the same reasons.

My full name, Christopher Eugene Irwin, in itself has some common and uncommon qualities. The length would be very hard to incorporate into the paintings and I enjoy the letter's  symbolism of my hand on the canvas. Maybe there will be a time to change how I sign a painting but for now the history and familiarity of what comes naturally will continue to be CEI

Blessings 

IMG_1130.jpg