Phainopepla, aka Silky Fly Catcher___8x6 oil for N.W., my great old buddy old pal!!!

My good friend, N., really liked my painting of the "Black Cardinal Jay Thing", the other day, but was too late to ask for it. I was working on other paintings of this bird, so I promised this one to her, since she asked first. In the meantime, a few good blog friends (one from Arizona and a couple who are just SMART and like birds....and probably were embarrassed by my made-up name for the bird :) emailed to

tell me the proper name. See caption above....

Also, I mentioned my love of football, and that it has been LIFELONG!!! A few people asked about those "early sketches". Here, below, is one of my favorites. Though copied from an illustration in a library book about the NFL, which I read cover to cover, it is not terrible for a 7-year-old! I remember watching the "Ice Bowl" between the Packers and the Cowboys, and turning in enough cereal box tops to buy a REAL leather football signed by the Packers! It was Bart Starr, Willie Wood, Willie Davis, Nitschke, Jerry Kramer...I remember some of the names still! It was my prized possession (though later on I could tell the signatures were PRINTED on the football)...Later I became a Cowboy fan, when I learned they were right here in Texas! ...BUT, since we spend so much summer time in Colorado, I am also a Denver Bronco fan...Heck..I like them all :)