Joy: Birdfeeder in Winter

I was just interviewed last week for Textiles & Tea with the Handweaver's Guild of America. I never want to overthink any questions so I usually work off the cuff, but I felt that I didn't have a great response to "What Brings You Joy?"  My answer is (and was on the interview) everything. I have so much joy in my life right now and I'm inspired by everything around me. 

I thought that maybe I should start a regular blog post on joy. Just picking one thing or thought that's been whirling around in my head for the week. Joy is one of the emotions I hope translates into some of my work. Looking at the breadth of my work I usually dump anything that I'm attracted to into my beadwork.

So this week it's the bird feeder outside of our Livingroom window.  We refer to it as "Clark TV" because we keep it full for entertainment for the cats and Clark loves it the most. Often times I find myself watching the birds flit about on the feeder too. There's a peacefulness seeing our pair of cardinals, I particularly love their reds/oranges popping out of the branches of the burning bush they hang out in next to the feeder. 

Along with the cardinals is a slew of chickadees this winter, which have been my favorite, we also have the usual sparrows and house finches.  I get excited when we see a nuthatch or black-eyed junco too, but they are not frequent fliers to our yard.

Next to the feeder is a giant burning bush.  I love how snow falls over it's branches, creating twisting lines and giving you an interesting view of the birds that that take turns going from the bush to the feeder. I actually worked with the imagery of snow draped over branches in a doubleweave during my studies at the University of Michigan. I called that weaving Snowfall.

I hope to get back to the beaded bird feather bangles.  I have made a peacock feather (in green) a phoenix feather (like the peacock but in red/purple) and a goldfinch feather. I don't have any bird-themed larger work but bird designs do play will within the structure of my bangles.

Birds, branches with snow weighing heavy on them; these are some of the things that give me joy and peace in my day to day. I even laugh at the squirrel that has figured out how to hang upside down from the edge of the top of the feeder and dispense sunflower seed for himself.

I hope everyone can find little joys in their days and weeks.