Painting My World

Oil on Panel - 4 x 4 inches      Who doesn’t love hummingbirds? After spending a fair amount of time figuring out my next painting, I took a break and started photographing hummingbirds a few weeks ago. And then I went through some old photographs of mine and chose to paint this one. This Ruby-throated Hummingbird is sitting on a Diabolo Ninebark branch, one of my favorite shrubs.       Male hummingbirds have begun their migration, I haven’t seen one in a while. The females and their offspring remain, but their days are numbered. Soon, they will be gone, too, on their way to Central America and the southern tip of Florida.       I am primarily a non-fiction reader, and the best book I’ve ever read about birds – in this case hummingbirds –  is Fastest Things on Wings by Terry Masear. When those northerly winds start to chill your bones and the snow keeps you inside, I highly recommend snuggling up with this book. You won’t be d...

Oil on Panel - 16 x 12 inches      House Wrens are now referred to as Northern House Wrens after last year's split by the American Ornithological Society. As an owner of several reference books on birds, it’s amazing how quickly out-of-date they've become. With changes made every year, whether by splitting species, lumping them together, or changing their names, it can be hard to keep up.       Northern House Wrens can find all sorts of interesting places to nest. On my property, I have two bird houses specifically for them, but in some years, they’ve also nested in a cable sleeve above our ditch – a black nylon-like material that covers hardware on a wire.  Northern House Wren with a fecal sac exiting a utility wire sleeve above the ditch at my home. Photo 8/9/2020. ©Becca Mulenburg   Each fall, my husband empties our wren birdhouses, but according to a study by Charles F. Thompson and Andrew J. Neill from the Department of Biological Scienc...

Oil on Panel - 4 x 4 inches      I subscribe to a small number of birding magazines and keep a record of articles about bird species. The most recent one in my collection about this bird, the Blackpoll Warbler, is from Living Bird’s 2024 winter issue. In one single night, 954 birds died after flying into the McCormick Place building in Chicago during a massive migration event on the night of October 4, 2023. Blackpolls were among the dead.       Fall migration is now in full swing, and it is dangerous, no doubt. Blackpoll Warblers carry the distinction of traveling further than any other warbler during migration – a whopping 1,800 miles from the Atlantic Coast to Columbia’s northern coast. And when they get to South America, they are greeted with the rainy season and large numbers of caterpillars to feast upon.       Sadly, these birds are in steep decline, losing approximately 71-90% of their population in the last 50-60 years. I...

Oil on Panel - 4 x 4 inches      A female Scarlet Tanager visited my yard this past May and provided an opportunity for some great photos which were used as reference for this painting. Usually, I spot them during the fall migration.       One of the biggest characteristics of this bird is that it looks nothing like its bright, red, male counterpart. This trait is known as sexual dichromatism. It’s obvious the naming of this bird was born from observing the males versus females.       Scarlet Tanagers are known to exhibit active anting behavior whereby they'll pick up ants with their beaks and rub them on their feathers. It’s believed that formic acid contained in specific ant species helps deter ectoparasites such as bird lice. Two ants, Lasius (Acanthomyops) claviger and Lasius (Chthonolasius) umbratus, have been observed in use by Scarlet Tanagers. With over 12,000 species of ants in the world, one might surmise there are more sp...

Now showing! Art on the Edge 19th Annual Juried Exhibit August 7-30, 2025 Reception: Friday, August 8, 5-7 pm 101 2nd Ave., Bigfork, MN 218-743-6670 Free and open to the public Gallery hours: Thurs-Sat, 1-4 pm First showings of "From Misery to Missouri" (Award of Excellence), "April Showers" and "Soft Landing in the Meadowlands" Copyright notification:  The internet is a scary place. I have seen my artwork on unauthorized websites. This is called stealing, also known as copyright infringement. The only authorized websites allowed to display my artwork are www.beccamulenburg.com, www.beccamulenburg.blogspot.com, and galleries currently showing my work. Any other website, posting, sales of my work, or the like, is illegitimate and operating under copyright infringement which is against the law. This includes Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, Amazon (worldwide), and more. Anyone found to have infringed a copyrighted work may be liable for statutory damages up t...

Oil on Panel - 4 x 4 inches      Of all the birds in the world, the Western Meadowlark might rank near the top to qualify for a new name, for it is not a lark. It’s a member of the Icterinae subfamily, i.e. blackbirds.       This well-known grassland bird is the state bird of six states: Kansas, Montana, Oregon, Wyoming, North Dakota and Nebraska. In Minnesota, good opportunities to see this bird can be found in the tallgrass prairie biome in the western and southwestern parts of the state. Of all the biomes in Minnesota (tallgrass prairie, tallgrass aspen parkland, hardwood forests and pine forests), the prairie is my favorite.       Each year, I make a point to visit the prairie, usually somewhere I’ve never been before. This year’s visit included Buffalo River State Park (25 mi east of Fargo) and surrounding areas.      With less than 1% of Minnesota’s native prairie still in existence, prospects for the Western Me...

Oil on Panel - 4 x 4 inches      Hooded Mergansers are infrequent visitors, but I have seen males, females and juveniles on our pond over the years. This female was spotted on June 3rd, a date that coincides with the time of year that crabapple trees drop their pink petals. I watched this lone duck dive for food, preen, swim and sleep for a short while.       These cavity nesters are known to be rather secretive, so even if I went searching for its nest, perhaps in an old Pileated Woodpecker hole – to which we have a few, especially in aged/dead birch trees – Mergansers aren’t known to reveal themselves very easily.       I’ve been busy painting and finished a couple of larger works which are currently drying. Miniatures have been completed for the annual MPSGS International Miniature Show coming up in November. These and more are waiting in the wings for future postings.       Spring came and went rather quickly...

34th International Miniature Art Show May 3 - May 31, 2025 Seaside Art Gallery 2716 S Virginia Dare Trail Nags Head, NC 27959 252-441-5418 Copyright notification: The internet is a scary place. I have seen my artwork on unauthorized websites. This is called stealing, also known as copyright infringement. The only authorized websites allowed to display my artwork are www.beccamulenburg.com, www.beccamulenburg.blogspot.com, and galleries currently showing my work. Any other website, posting, sales of my work, or the like, is illegitimate and operating under copyright infringement which is against the law. This includes Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, Amazon (worldwide), and more. Anyone found to have infringed a copyrighted work may be liable for statutory damages up to $30,000 for each work infringed and, if willful infringement is proven by the copyright owner, that amount may be increased up to $150,000 for each work infringed. Please be aware. Copyrights do not transfer with the sa...

Oil on Panel - 4 x 4 inches      This is an oil painting of a Veery as seen at my home on May 26, 2020. It's a bird that I commonly hear in my neck of the woods in the spring and summer. They are generally known to be secretive birds because they inhabit dense woodlands associated with wet areas such as streams, rivers or swamps. I have seen and heard them singing from tree branches and hopping along the ground both at my home and during visits to Lake Maria and Carlos State Parks in Minnesota. Perhaps I’ve gotten lucky obtaining good photos of these birds, but I often find that just spending time outdoors, especially during spring migration, really pays off.       Thanks to a fascinating 19-year study of Veeries’ nesting behaviors by Dr. Christopher Heckscher of Delaware State University, it's been determined that these birds can predict the severity of Atlantic hurricane seasons. In the years when Veeries called off nesting prior to May 23rd, there w...

4 x 4 inches - Oil on Panel      This is my oil painting of a Common Raven.       In 2003, Vladimir Putin visited the Tower of London in the UK, a legendary castle that employs a Ravenmaster to care for a minimum of six ravens whose sole purpose is to prevent the Tower from crumbling and the kingdom from suffering great harm should they, the ravens, ever leave. It’s quite a superstition, but the Brits take it seriously.       During Putin’s visit, he was greeted by a 12-year old raven named Thor who was perched on the steps that lead up to the White Tower. Thor said “Good morning” to the Russian president. It wasn’t an unusual reception, Thor was known to greet anybody; but what the president thought about the raven’s greeting is unknown. One source described Putin as being “taken aback”.       There are all sorts of stories about ravens being harbingers of death or impending doom, so it might be interesting to k...

Oil on Panel - 4 x 4 inches            Last year, Red Crossbills visited my feeders containing black oil sunflower seeds between May 15 and May 28th. Those sightings remain the only time I've seen these perfectly-named birds.       Compared to most birds, there’s a lot more to learn about Red Crossbills. The following paragraph taken from allaboutbirds.org [accessed Feb. 10, 2025] summarizes this bird well.       "Traditionally considered a single species of multiple races, Loxia curvirostra may actually comprise more than half a dozen separate species—each of them showing a mix of traits so close to the others that they are inseparable in the field. Even taxonomists with specimens in the hand are often uncertain of what they have. Birds of different bill sizes and shapes apparently prefer different conifer species (the smallest types feeding on hemlocks, the largest on white pines), but the differences must be measur...

Oil on Panel - 4 x 4 inches      This is a black and white (sort of) oil painting of an Eastern Phoebe. A trip to William O’Brien State Park last September brought windy and hot conditions for a six-mile birding walk. I spotted this bird along the Wedge Hill Savanna Trail perched on a branch over water, sallying for bugs.       I remember that day well. It was too windy for decent birding, and the temperatures were between 76-80˚ F. For me, that’s hot; and without the wind, I wouldn’t have walked as far as I had. Oftentimes, when I see a bird by itself, especially during migration, I often wonder about its circumstances. Eastern Phoebes leave Minnesota for warmer climes in the fall. How far would this one travel? Why was it alone? Was it a male or female? Was it cursing the wind like I was? Perhaps bugs were easier to catch on windy days. Maybe they have less control in the wind, making them easier prey. Or maybe they’re harder to find, hunkered down o...

Oil on Panel - 4 x 4 inches Copyright notification: The internet is a scary place. I have seen my artwork on unauthorized websites. This is called stealing, also known as copyright infringement. The only authorized websites allowed to display my artwork are www.beccamulenburg.com, www.beccamulenburg.blogspot.com, and galleries currently showing my work. Any other website, posting, sales of my work, or the like, is illegitimate and operating under copyright infringement which is against the law. This includes Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, Amazon (worldwide), and more. Anyone found to have infringed a copyrighted work may be liable for statutory damages up to $30,000 for each work infringed and, if willful infringement is proven by the copyright owner, that amount may be increased up to $150,000 for each work infringed. Please be aware. Copyrights do not transfer with the sale of any of my artworks.

Oil in Panel - 4 x 4 inches      It’s New Year’s Eve and some of you might be indulging in celebratory food for the occasion. So, it seems appropriate to bring up the variety of ways birds feed their young... or don't.       There are birds that feed their young for months, some only a matter of weeks, and then there are those that don’t feed their chicks at all. Bald eagles are examples of birds who feed their young for months before they fledge. On the opposite spectrum, brush turkeys don’t feed theirs at all. Their babies must fend for themselves upon hatching in order to survive. That’s right. No parental help whatsoever. Chicks, find your own food, we’re outta here, says mom and dad. Crazy, right?       When it comes to Eastern Towhees, they’ll feed their young for almost two weeks before fledging occurs. Nothing unusual about that. However, Eastern Towhees belong to a group of birds that will feed other bird species, too. The...

Oil in Panel - 16 x 20 inches.      This is my oil painting of female Bobolink. My photograph of her alongside Dart Road in Minnesota's Sax-Zim Bog in July of 2022 served as my reference.        Below is a poem about Bobolinks written by the distinguished poet William Cullen Bryant in March of 1855. It was published in Putnam's Magazine that same year. Punctuation, spelling and grammar were left unchanged. ROBERT OF LINCOLN. Merrily swinging on brier and weed,    Near to the nest of his little dame, Over the mountain-side or mead,    Robert of Lincoln is telling his name :       Bob-o'-link, bob-o'-link,       Spink, spank, spink ; Snug and safe is that nest of ours, Hidden among the summer flowers.                   Chee, chee, chee. Robert of Lincoln is gayly drest,    Wearing a bright black wedding-coat ; White are his shoulders and white hi...

Oil on Panel - 4 x 4 inches.      This is an oil painting of a Canada Jay as seen in Sax-Zim Bog, MN, during a visit in January, 2022. These birds have several defining characteristics. I was struck by the number of nicknames this bird has. Whiskey Jack may be its most common nickname, a word derived from the Indigenous North American Cree word ‘Wisakedjak’ meaning “an adventurous and humorous trickster afforded prestige as a teacher to humankind. Wisakedjak is also rebellious.” (Robinson, 2018) Other nicknames include camp robber, moose bird, meat hawk, venison bird, and gorby. Gray Jay was its official name for a while, and I’ve heard that name used often.       Canada Jays live in cold climates and can be found in every Canadian province, and in higher elevations in the western United States, as well as Minnesota, Wisconsin, Upper Michigan, Maine, and New Hampshire. They are non-migratory, but occasionally irrupt southward. They will eat just about...

Oil on Panel - 4 x 4 inches.      This male Mourning Warbler was one of my highlights in 2024. First heard and spotted on May 28th, it sang loudly over the course of 2-3 weeks in one corner of my woods. I never spotted the female, but I suspect she was around due to the longevity of the male’s presence. The last date I heard the male singing was July 1st.       Mourning Warblers require heterogeneous second-growth forests. The shrubby hillside area where this bird hung out contains quaking aspens, crabapples, birches, a young red oak, a scotch pine, red and white pines, spruce, diamond and pussy willows, and neighboring European buckthorn. Generally, the area is clear of a dense understory; large-leaved asters cover a fair portion of nearby sunny spots. A small brush pile, a large pine needle pile, and a fallen spruce skirt the edges where this bird lingered. Part of the space was once completely covered with invasive common tansy. Having removed 99% o...

Oil on Panel - 4 x 4 inches.      Just before the arrival of spring in 2018, American Crows were creating a ruckus outside of my window while I was eating breakfast. Never one to miss an opportunity to explore the reason why crows are in a tizzy, the commotion led me to observe this Great Gray Owl perched in a tree just feet away from my house. It stayed low in the branches and slowly moved southbound from tree to tree. By the time I got dressed for the outdoors, the owl was perched across the road in a dense thicket, well hidden. The crows had moved on by then. The silence of the winter’s morning, except for a passerby or two, left me alone with this beautiful owl, and I was able to snap some decent photographs.       My yard has its share of voles, one of this bird’s favorite food. Vole tunnels abound and are especially visible after the first snowfall of the season, as long as it’s a light snowfall. One or two inches of snow will oftentimes display...