EMPTY NEST 12" X 18" Charcoal & Pencil
January 16, 2010--SEARCH FOR THE SOURCE. Empty nest at the source of the Colorado River. I found this oriole's nest in a wild plum tree, near the small pool of water that begins the Colorado River. What a masterpiece, both River and nest. Orioles are master nest builders. Just trying to draw it was a challenge. How did the oriole, with just her beak and claws, weave these tiny threads of grass and yucca fibers together into this intricate fabric all the while suspending it between two branches? This tree, just beginning to bloom, was in an arroya that leads into the Colorado's small pool. Mrs. Stewart, co-owner of the ranch, (Martha Stewart, actually) had commented that she had made plum jelly from the grove over the years. The oriole, after all her work, will seldom reuse the nest, but she may recycle some of the materials.
