About the Birds series

When I was a child, I was fascinated by my mother's Birds of North America field guide. She kept it on the top shelf of a bookcase in our living room, but that didn't stop me from pulling it down and flipping through it.

I spent a great deal of time looking at birds I recognized (and many I didn't). Occasionally, when we saw a new bird at the feeder or on the locust tree in the back yard, Mom would pull the book down and we'd look together until we identified it.

This is undoubtedly a family obsession. During my childhood trips to visit my grandparents in Florida, neither my grandma nor my grandpa ever missed the opportunity to point out the local bird life. It's entirely thanks to my mother and grandparents that I'm able to identify pretty much any bird who hops across the sidewalk.

Each of the birds I've painted in this series has a special memory associated with it. The goldfinch and purple finch are regular guests at my Mom's birdfeeders. The sparrow reminds me of the one I rescued from a light fixture and rehabilitated in my laundry room. The first titmouse I spotted was courtesy of my grandma in Michigan one summer. The bluebird is an homage to my grandma, who remains alive in my memory as one of the kindest, most vibrant women I've ever known.