Love Birds
Jean Ellis Newman

Hearts abound in this Valentine created for my sister Lee and husband Jerry. Beyond the obvious mass for the nest, the bodies and beaks of the birds, as well as the leaves on the trees, are all heart shapes. Even the negative spaces are heart-dominant.

Instead of painting this whimsical piece with brushes, I decided to apply the watercolor with a small stick I use for drawing with ink. A disastrous first effort on wet, crumpled masa paper led me to experiment on a sheet of hot pressed watercolor paper. The stick danced across its smooth surface; my heart leapt.