A European robin rests among blooming botanicals as a butterfly hovers before it. Their shared glance suggests wonder, curiosity, and the beauty of a fleeting encounter.
I worked this painting during the late February 2026 blizzard in New England, as heavy snow fell and strong gusts swept past my studio windows.
During the storm, a group of mourning doves took shelter on my front porch. They perched and settled on the furniture tucked up against the house. Some stayed hunkered down in soft, fluffy balls, while others wandered about, leaving tiny tracks across the table and floorboards. I checked on them throughout the storm. On two occasions, one turned and glanced back at me. I was grateful they had chosen my porch as their refuge.
While winter swirled outside, I painted warmth, blossoms, and wings. Knowing spring was less than thirty days away lifted my heart even more. Before long, the season would shift, and birds would be nesting among blossoms like the ones on my canvas.
The snow fell all day, and the doves stayed on my porch while I remained at my easel. They had shelter from the storm, and I had the comfort of painting a scene full of warmth. Though mourning doves sheltered on my porch that day, the bird that appeared on my canvas was different. I painted a European robin, a small songbird native to Europe, Western Asia, and North Africa. In the midst of the storm, painting it made the day feel softer. The title A Shared Glance reflects both the exchange between the robin and butterfly on canvas and the moments when a dove met my eyes through the window.
Jackie Foster Art 