Art of Nature

One of my art students, an eight year old girl, finished a wonderful painting of a blue jay yesterday. I've been working with her once a week for about six months now. I use Artistic Pursuits as a spine and add many of my own ideas. Each week we work together for about 30-45 minutes, learning new techniques, art terms, and artists. We complete a small project to reinforce the new ideas and then she is given a weekly assignment to fulfill on her own. She worked on the painting exclusively in lesson time for about five weeks. I know she is very proud of her painting and I'm sure proud of her accomplishment at only seven years old (she turned eight just this week so much of the work was done while she was seven).

If you are also interested in birds and in drawing and painting birds I highly recommend learning more about the artist and naturalist John James Audubon.

Start by exploring the National Audubon Society website where you can read about his namesake organization dedicated to wildlife preservation and about Audubon himself in a brief biography. You can also view Audubon's most famous book of bird illustrations there, Birds of America. After you have viewed the book on the web, be sure to also check it or another of Audubon's books out of the library. You can get a much better feel for the artwork looking at it printed on actual paper than you can viewing a web pic.

While you're at the library, search out this book if you are working with children or appreciate children's books yourself: The Boy Who Drew Birds. There is a teacher's guide for the book online at the Houghton Mifflin site.

Another book I would recommend if you are a naturalist/artist at heart is Keeping a Nature Journal by Clare Walker Leslie. It is an inspirational and beautiful piece of art in its own right as well as an invaluable resource.

Yet another resource you won't want to miss is a blog by a fellow artist-homeschooler, Handbook of Nature Study. Barb has spent a great deal of time and energy inspiring beginning artists, young and old.

So, grab your camera, your sketchbook, and your library card. Head out in search of birds and other wildlife in you neighborhood. Then try your hand at drawing, painting, and photographing what you've observed and studied.

Be inspired by nature.