Birds are wild nature, all around us, and so often we are unaware of their presence. It’s important to notice birds; they remind us of our place in the greater realm of nature.

“… birds are the great bond between nature and humanity. With their human characteristics; their songs, their colors, and flight; their courtships, nest-building, and family life; their inquisitiveness, courage, and friendliness; their mysterious migrations, returning year after year to the same locality; birds … give us sympathy for every living thing.” — Enos A. Mills, Bird Memories of the Rockies

My bird series of paintings is an example of combining realism with abstraction, and is especially informed by concerns about the loss of bird populations worldwide.