Chickadees seem to be everyone's favorite songbird and they definately bring life to a dull winter day.  I took over 300 photos of chickadees for reference material for this piece and am amazed how close they will come when they feel comfortable.  The inspiration for this painting came from a rare winter's day in BC's lower mainland, where the periwinkle color of the winter sky took me back to my childhood winters spent on the prairies.  I thought the bright red rosehips would be a great contrast.