It is a snow day! My man is home, we are supposed to get 12 to 16". The subways are sluggish, the streets are quiet. This is the view out my kitchen window. I tried to get a photo of my beggar squirrel, but he took the peanut butter on rice cracker and ran! Doing my duty to keep the little guy warm.

Thank you for all of the encouragement. There are some commenters to the last post that I have not heard from before, and I love comments, don't we all? I was hesitant to post my hopes and dreams of making 20 pieces of art, for a cause I believe in, can I do it? If I post and fail, what of it?

So today I started The 20, for lack of a better name. And I started in spite of my fears and self doubt.

I don't want to start with the Northern Bobwhite, because I have never seen this bird before and it is a land based bird. Do I get all photo realistic with grass or go for my own interpretation. So, I move forward and will approach that little guy when I am further into the project.

I went to the next bird, the Evening Grosbeak.

This is a photo of the map. My general outline for the piece.

I love to understand my subject matter and get an idea for the lay of the artistic land. I want to know what the bird eats, why it's habitat in threatened, what can be done to help preserve what is left of it. I think it would be best to collect as much positive information as I possibly can so that when I am done with the project, my viewer will be able to say, I love Evening Grosbeak and I would like to pick up the fight! I have a Box Elder in my yard and I vow to keep it healthy so the Evening Grosbeak can feed here, if it chooses to. I want to provide answers, not just display a problem.

So I prepare my resists, in this case outlines of Boxelder Maple leaves.

With some resists in place I begin to print the cotton layer.

I don't yet know how I will print the organza layer, maybe plants that attract evening Grosbeak, the outline of the Boxelder Maple? Its a free for all as far as that is concerned.

Off topic, I bought a copy of Janet Bolton's Patchwork Folk Art: Using Appliqu� and Quilting Techniques, and LOVE it. It isn't really a technique book, although it is. It is a verbal journey, a flowing bunch of ideas. I like it a lot.

And thank you! Thank you for commenting and encouraging me to follow my heart. I have taken a first step.