Chickadees flit about on a dogwood tree in the autumn rain in this artwork from the studio.\n\nChickadees are spirited little birds with busy-signal voices, and when it comes to bravado, they are the best in the business. \n\nThese particular birds spend much of their time traveling between our dogwood tree and a bowl of black oil sunflower seeds we keep on the window ledge. They are the only birds that our resident cardinals will tolerate at the feeder with them, though whether they are truly welcome or simply too persistent to chase off I do not know. I like to think that the chickadees and the cardinals have a kind of truce, for they will frequently join forces to defend their precious black oiler supply against swarms of tree sparrows- the blustery cardinals hissing at the invaders while the bobbing, darting chickadees attack from the air.\n\nChickadees are, gram-for-gram, perhaps the most courageous of songbirds, willing to challenge birds many times their size and braving all that life throws at them… in fact, seeming to enjoy it. I have never seen a chickadee that looked depressed, have you? \n\nThe original painting was created to honor that tenacious, uniquely feisty spirit that God is wont to instill in small creatures.