Do Sparrows Dream...

"Do Sparrows Dream of Oceans Deep"
acrylic on wood

At the Lambertville Artists' Gallery, we're participating as a group in "Bucks County Birdhouse Style" - a Birdhouse Auction for New Hope Arts, where artist-created birdhouses will be auctioned off to benefit the New Hope Arts Building Project. New Hope Arts, Inc is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the rich cultural heritage of the area.

So I put my birdhouse kit together and thought this would be such a fun project to work on. And there my freshly primed and gessoed birdhouse sat for weeks. Waiting for inspiration. I just couldn't think of what to do with it! My plan was to paint some sort of landscape on it - rolling hills, puffy white clouds... but that idea just wasn't working and there the birdhouse sat. I thought about cows. I like painting cows and envisioned whimsical cow faces peering out from each side of the birdhouse. But that idea wasn't working either. Finally, I thought of fish - I doodle cartoonish fish all of the time (I have no idea why) and thought that a 'birdhouse as aquarium' would be funny. Once I had this idea, the rest was easy, and I like how it turned out. The fish theme also appeared on my artcards, and I used to build ceramic fish in what seems like a previous lifetime.

My next hurdle was titling it. We were asked to provide a title for our birdhouses, and titles aren't always easy for me. But this one came quickly: "Do Sparrows Dream of Oceans Deep?". With apologies to Philip K. Dick, author of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (the novel which inspired Blade Runner). And although the 1 1/4" diameter hole on my birdhouse might be a little too small for a sparrow, I'm sticking with this title!

The Gallery:
My birdhouse will be on display at the Artists' Gallery during the month of March, along with all of the other gallery artists' birdhouses. It's an amazing collection of birdhouse art, so I hope you can visit and have a look. We're at 32 Coryell Street, Lambertville, NJ. Towards the end of the month, the houses will all be taken away to auction.

The Auction:
The benefit party and auction will be held on April 1, 2007, 6:30 pm preview, 7-9pm auction held in cooperation with 5thseasongifts.com, 215-862-2780

New Hope Arts Center
2 Stockton Ave . New Hope. PA

$15/person 215.862.9606
Tickets: 5th Season . 30 W. Bridge Street