Why birds and trees?

Talkin' about the birds and the trees...and it's all about love.  (I always end up singing!)  There is a story behind all those trees and birds I paint.  The metaphors are the spine of the two themes and love is behind it all.  There is always either relationship or voice in the subject of my paintings.  


In the bird paintings, the couples portrayed are linked in an environment that surrounds them and protects them.  They're often cozying up together or face to face building relationship.  They invite the viewer to ponder the joy and contentment of having a close partner to share an experience with in an environment that is warm and protected.  They are at home with each other.  They echo the blessings of my own relationships.


What about those little laughing birds that keep showing up in the trees and what do trees have to do with the name on the studio?  In my mind, trees have always been linked metaphorically to our human connectedness and they're part of the story behind 'Laughing Bird Art'.  I had been slogging away at learning to use acrylic paints and mediums without much success.  When I began to ponder and pray about the idea of using subject matter that I was practiced at, I realized that my journey would be simplified if I just 'did what I know', reducing the variables in the equation to just the mediums.  The first group of trees I painted was my first real personal success (whew!).  You can see a portion of that painting in the logo.  But that's only part of the story...


Imagine me, an almost empty nester who has left her art alone for a couple of decades, gradually realizing I had time to begin to create something besides well rounded kids.  And, in fact, had better find something to do BEFORE the last bird had flown.  No job prospects, a very supportive husband and some time.  Then think of all the stumbling blocks (Housework? Shopping? Track Meets?).  The usual excuses, ridicule from well meaning people trying to ground me in reality and learning a new medium that stubbornly refuses to DO WHAT I WANT IT TO.  Pretty discouraging after awhile. Who did I think I was, wasting my time this way? It seemed like even the birds were laughing at me (can you spell paranoia?).  Then one day that tree painting just fell out of a prayerful quest for an artistic success and I suddenly felt like the birds were no longer laughing AT me, but laughing WITH me at the sheer joy of creating something I LOVED!  So I keep painting about connectedness and joy and home with subjects that I know and it's all tied together in LOVE.