"cerulean warbler"

Open Studios coming up means a time for revisiting and finishing up pieces started perhaps some time ago. This little piece was started in October of last year.

For the bird I used as reference a photo from a series of 1897 magazines bound together in albums, and passed down to me by my mother from my grandfather's collections. I can't help but think how different the context was for the reader of these magazines in their day. Tucked into the books are articles on birds clipped from newspapers, and a handwritten list of bird names and sightings.

The painting is done on a bit of embroidered fabric, collaged onto a small canvas. The insects are recent arrivals on the scene.

(top image scanned right from the painting; below it is the whole piece; at left, pages from the magazines)