This is a perfect painting to share with you today–where I am, it is blazing hot and sunny, our first glimpse of what I predict to be a hot summer.
You can feel the sun’s warmth baking the red-orange clay of this hilltop in the sky.
![Blackbirds and Blossoms. 16" x 12", Oil on Canvas, © 2016 Cedar Lee](https://www.artbycedar.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Blackbirds-and-Blossoms.jpg)
The tree, decked out in scarlet blooms, is lit up by the sun so it glows in shades of creamy pink and bright golden yellow.
![Close-up detail: Blackbirds and Blossoms. 16" x 12", Oil on Canvas, © 2016 Cedar Lee](https://www.artbycedar.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Blackbirds-and-Blossoms-detail1.jpg)
Behind the tree, the blackbirds are circling gracefully through the air. I see the birds as mysterious visitors who show up unexpectedly, then fly in this beautiful formation right before our eyes.
![Close-up detail: Blackbirds and Blossoms. 16" x 12", Oil on Canvas, © 2016 Cedar Lee](https://www.artbycedar.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Blackbirds-and-Blossoms-detail2.jpg)
In this painting I feel the heat of the sun, the promise of the blooming flowers, and the delight at watching these birds streaking through the cloudless sky in big circles.
![Blackbirds and Blossoms. 16" x 12", Oil on Canvas, © 2016 Cedar Lee](https://www.artbycedar.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Blackbirds-and-Blossoms-detail3.jpg)
![Blackbirds and Blossoms. 16" x 12", Oil on Canvas, © 2016 Cedar Lee](https://www.artbycedar.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Blackbirds-and-Blossoms-detail4.jpg)