Peacock Feathers

I spent a lot of time this past week working on an embroidery piece of a bird I find very fascinating -- the peacock.

Here is some information obtained online through Wikipedia about this special character. The male is called a peacock, the female a peahen, and the offspring peachicks.[1] The adult female peafowl is grey and/or brown. Peachicks can be between yellow and a tawny colour with darker brown patches. The peacock flares out his feathers when he is trying to get the peahen's attention. Peafowl are omnivorous and eat most plant parts, flower petals, seed heads, insects and other arthropods, reptiles, and amphibians. During the mating season they will often emit a very loud high-pitched cry. They also travel in hunting packs between ten and ninety. There are many different cultural significances in other lands that picture a peacock in them. He has many different representations even a deity who possesses benevolence, patience, kindness, compassion and knowledge. In some cultures the peacock is also a symbol of pride or vanity, due to the way the bird struts and shows off its plumage.

Proverbs about bird feathers -- Some I have heard and others are new to me. Chicken are beautiful because of their feathers, women are beautiful because of their make-up. Thai Proverb -*- Fine feathers make fine birds.. Vietnamese Proverb. -*- Every bird is proud of its feathers.. Maltese Proverb. -*- A bird does not change its feathers because the weather is bad.. Nigerian Proverb. -*- The fowl perspires, but the feathers do not allow us to see the perspiration.. Nigerian Proverb. -*- A bird will always use another birds' feathers to feather its own nest.. South Sotho Proverb. -*- The peacock hath fair feathers, but a foul voice.. Chinese Proverb. -*- A bird is known by his feathers.. Yiddish proverb. -*- Words and feathers the wind carries away.. Romanian Proverb. -*- The peacock hath fair feathers, but foul feet.. Romanian Proverb. -*-

I zoned in on my dogwood blooms on this piece as well. One thing I miss living in the South is dogwood trees. We used to have one in our front yard when I was growing up and I loved those delicate petals.

Covering Graffiti

The Great Falls Tribune wrote a piece recently on some very eye pleasing artwork now seen on Central Avenue.



I couldn't help but pull out my digital camera and take a walk with my youngest son to capture some of the colorful views. It was very interesting to get up close and see how pictures and poetry had been included in 10 different artists work.



Avery (11 years old) was a good sport and poised in a way to look like the fish was about to eat him. He is funny as he would do this for me very willingly, but when going to the local ball game, he will not stand by the mascot for a picture. I have even told him that I will stand on one side and he on the other, but no sale.



My favorite artwork was being worked on while we were snapping pictures. I love the swirly characters this lady has created.

One can only hope the artwork will not be tampered with by some unsightly graffiti that was on the temporary walls of this burned construction area.

Peacock Beauty

Peacock full span, originally uploaded by pixilpame.

All fanned out and looking pretty!

The male peafowl, or peacock, has long been known and valued for its brilliant tail feathers. The bright spots on it are known as "eyes", and inspired the Greek myth that Hera placed the hundred eyes of her slain giant Argus on the tail of her favorite bird.

Indian Peafowl is iridescent blue-green or blue in the head, neck and breast. The back, or scapular, feathers are vermiculated in black and white, while the primaries are orange-chestnut. The so-called "tail" of the peacock, also termed the "train," is not the tail quill feathers but highly elongated upper tail feather coverts. It is mostly bronze-green, with a series of eyes that are best seen when the train is fanned. The actual tail feathers are short and grey-coloured and can be seen from behind when a peacock's train is fanned in a courtship display. During the molting season, the males shed their stunning train feathers and reveal the unassuming grey-coloured tail which is normally hidden from view beneath the train. Both species have a crest atop the head which is also present in the females.

The female peacock is duller in comparison. It is mostly brown, with pale underparts and some green iridescence in the neck, and lacks the long upper tail feather coverts of the male.

The plumage of the peacock, and the peahen's preference for its exorbitance, is a classical example of sexual selection and especially the handicap principle. However, in recent years scientific research has shown that the size and brilliance of a male's plumage does not meaningfully correlate with his mating success nor his health, and that instead the key factor for attracting females is the vocalizations made prior to mating.

Peacock Applique Quilt Block

I have totally fallen in love with this quilt block. I will be making it this week!

Some months ago, I was scouring the internet looking for a quilt block pattern of a peacock. I have always loved this bird. One's childlike cry even caused me to get locked out of my aunt's house on a snowy day when I first moved to Montana years ago. Let's just say I am glad the neighbors were friendly and kept me warm, because my relatives were gone when I got locked out of their place.

I have definitely decided to follow this very creative artist blog site and see what else she comes up with. Her link is here for the peacock story: http://www.lemontreetales.com/lemon_tree_tales/2009/01/peacock-quilt-applique.html

Truly beautiful and inspiring to me!!! Many thanks Lemon Tree Tales.