This vintage colored pencil drawing reminds me of a story…
The Birdcage Had Center Stage
When I was very young and easily separated from my money, I saw a bamboo bird cage that I had to have. I imagined that it would be wonderful to have a bird live inside of it, so I bought the tiniest one they had; a brown finch.
I thought he was handsome. Chocolate brown is another one of my favorite colors. The brown prisoner I bought wished he was free in the night air like the red one in the drawing.
The Bird Was an Afterthought
The poor bird was an accessory. I thought he would sing pretty songs and wake me up in the mornings. I had no idea what it would be like to take care of a pet bird.
The cage I couldn’t leave in the store had a hinged roof that opened from the top and a cute little door with a gate that slid up and down in front.
Nineteen Years Old Before I Realize My Fear
My first clue was that I was afraid to touch him. I tried to drop him into the cage from the box; he finally fell in, but flew right out of the little door that I had forgotten to close.
THIS is the moment that I figured out I was afraid of birds.
He flew frantically into each wall of the apartment desperately trying to find the way out. I fell to the floor and my whole body shook uncontrollably. I was afraid of him and that he might break his little neck at the same time.
A Call to the Pet Store
I reached up from the floor to get the phone to call the pet store to find out how to catch him. The pet store lady said that I need to wait until he sits down and sneak up behind him and grab him.
Since I knew there was no way I was going to touch the little bird, I called my boyfriend to come over and catch the bird. When he got there, he held a sheet open, the bird flew into the sheet and there was nothing to it. He placed the bird in the cage with the small door closed this time.
I told my brother the story and he cried and teased me about it for years.
About This Drawing:
This vintage colored pencil drawing was in my father’s collection. I barely remember it at all, in fact when he showed it to me I was surprised. My colored pencil collection was entirely Prismacolor at that time. I was pouring over Bett Borgeson’s book Colored Pencil for the Serious Beginner. I loved her style.
This turned out to be one of many drawings with this theme. I enjoyed crooked trees then and still do.
It was my intention for the trees to be in silhouette, but I had a problem with adding enough value in my drawings then. This must have been around 1992. This is a beginner mistake and it took me a while to correct.
I have added the value digitally after the fact with GIMP. See the original drawing below.
you write Very well …I visited a pet store with somebody and had decided that i would get a bird. As I wandered over to the where the birds were i was instantly afraid of them. I felt like that all were looking at me with tilted heads.
I am pretty sure thought, Hitchcock’s “the birds” had something to do with that.
Thank you Auntee. I think that Hitchcock movie has scarred me too. I wasn’t in tune with myself enough to notice my fear at the store. That would’ve saved me forty dollars.