Song of the Wren is a multi-media exhibit including music, art and videos to explore the lives of wrens and other birds.  The series of fifty watercolor paintings explores these lives and their habitat through the seasons of the year.  The project started with the composition of Song of the Wren: A Celtic Suite for harp in four movements. Video recordings and live performance of the music are coupled with paintings rich with details of native plants and nature.

     These works have been deeply influenced by my love of nature, gardening, birds and pollinators.  Stewardship of the environment and helping people reconnect to nature are paramount.  Video recordings featuring the four folk tunes and watercolor paintings of wrens knit together the connections of music, art and nature.  A sub-set of paintings have been inspired the Woodlands Garden of Decatur, Georgia which is a urban nature preserve and bird sanctuary and the Norh Carolina Arboretum, a research arboretum adjacent to the Blue Ridge Parkway.  This series relates to my previous botanical, landscape and still life work in oils, watercolor and gouache. 

     Through the intimate examination of detail my paintings combine the healing power of nature and visual art.  For this body of work, I utilized nature journaling, reference photos, collected objects from nature and observations of birds at close range out my studio window. The small size of these paintings is influenced by my nature journaling and is conducive to entering into the bird’s world in an intimate way.  Paintings began as wren portraits but evolved into rich detail of the habitat, native plants and life events that wrens and other birds encounter throughout the year.  Organic shapes and lines provide a calming sense of movement. The use of underpainting and multiple layers of washes create gentle transitions and rich colors. The up-close view captures our attention and offers an opportunity for absorption in the present moment, creating a meditative experience.

This new collection of downloadable sheet music is unique in that it includes illustrations with a few of my watercolor art works.  The music in the video recordings is coupled with my Wren Series watercolor paintings for which I have received an Artist Support Grant from the Arts and Science Council, a supporting organization of the Foundation for the Carolinas.  

Kathleen Blackwell-Plank collected the traditional Breton folk tune, The Wren.  The An Dro is a circle or line dance in 4/4 meter.  This arrangement in E minor is the second movement of Blackwell-Plank's collection "Song of the Wren: A Celtic Suite." The feisty little bird, the wren is featured in folk songs from across the Celtic traditions. The suite includes songs from Brittany, Ireland and the Shetland Isles of Scotland.  In this video, the music is accompanied by Blackwell-Plank's watercolor paintings of wrens. 

This new collection of downloadable sheet music is unique in that it includes illustrations with a few of my watercolor art works.  The music in the video recordings is coupled with my Wren Series watercolor paintings for which I have received an Artist Support Grant from the Arts and Science Council, a supporting organization of the Foundation for the Carolinas.  

The final movement of Kathleen Blackwell-Plank's Song of the Wren: A Celtic Suite is Wren's Escape an Irish polka in G major.  The introduction uses the sons xylo technique which change the sonority of the harp in places.  Due to the lively melody, the left hand uses simple, long chords.