What’s with all the birds?

What’s with the birds?

If you have ever noticed the birds in your yard and appreciated their vibrant or patterned feathers, we have something in common. I’ve been on a bird kick lately, painting a few portraits. It was brought on by a color theory class that left me with a few studies on noticing the colors in the natural world. There is such variety and wonder in the world of birds, from birds of prey to songbirds, from sea birds to songbirds. They’re so odd and beautiful, I can’t help but paint a portrait of a handful of them.

Did you know the shoebill is a stork with a wingspan of nearly 8 feet and can live into its 30s? Or that the name for a group of spoonbills is a bowl?

The more I searched for a subject for my paintings, the more I wanted to make a list of different species of birds to paint. I haven’t had a particularly strong fascination with birds until more recently when I started noticing all the bird songs in my neighborhood and wondered who they came from. Then, moving across states, I had a new collection of birds to notice. From the east coast to the middle of the country, there is a vast difference in the array of aviary life. More and more research into the bird world has opened my eyes to their bizarre and beautiful nature. I’ve slowly amassed a collection of bird-based clothes, in support of nature conservancy and bird-watching groups.

All this is to say that birds are cool, and it pays to invest time into learning the ins and outs of what makes them unique. It’s also really fun to paint them.