Eagles swoop and soar
coupling, nesting, parenting,Yin and Yang 'til death.
Eagles have an elaborate mating ritual of swooping and soaring in the sky to impress each other. They mate and are a couple for life, sharing in building the nest, keeping eggs warm, and parenting their young. When one leaves and does not return the remaining bird shows signs of distress, walking around and around the nest's rim, and eventually flies off in search of its mate. Death is commonly caused by being hit by a car. If the "widowed" bird finds its mate, it continues to mourn and even tries to move the body off the road. The eagle will return to the nest but will not mate again until the following year.
For this piece of work I used pastel batiks for the sky. I tried a new technique on the eagles: I used 2 pictures from a wildlife magazine and transferred them with clear packing tape. (I don't like the glossy look, however.) The nest is made of thread trash and a few feathers. (Eagle nests can weigh up to 2,000 pounds.) I free-motion quilted the whole piece.
5 comments:
I really like this Lynn and was interested in your comment regarding your transfer method. I often wondered how it would turn out, now I know. I also appreciate your dialogue regarding the eagles. We watched these birds for years from our living room window. another bird that is like the eagle is the swan...to me those birds present the 'greatest love story ever told'...
Your piece really 'spells out' your Haiku. Well done!
Lynn,
This is great. Interesting transfer technique and I will have to look it up since I've never heard of it.
R
I love this, Lynn! I find it interesting how many birds seem to mate for life, and that the males of so many species help with the child rearing.
I like your creative use of "thread trash". I've got some baggies of that around someplace, waiting for the inspiration to use them myself.
I've read about the packing tape transfer method, though I've never tried it. I don't understand how that would produce a glossy look, which I cannot see, btw, in your photo. Can you elaborate on that please?
Martha
Wish I could enlarge your photo but my browser isn't cooperating. I love the thread nest - Terrific! I'll have to look up that transfer technique - sounds interesting. And the yin/yang symbol is a neat touch!
Guila Greer
I love you Haiku
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