Birds

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A big focus of my artwork for many years, in no small part from my participation in four years of Avian August (jump to section). Birds are awesome- they're literally dinosaurs. What's cooler than that?!
A painting of a raven, head lowered and throat feathers raised, making a
A painting of two magpies walking, playfully, through the snow.
A painting of a black-billed magpie flying with a large birch tree branch in its beak, viewed from below, against a pink and purple sky.
A painting of a flying American kestrel, holding a leaf in its beak. There are pieces of leaves, blue petals, and sparkles around it.
A painting of two white-bellied treepies sharing a branch. One looks down at the other, the lower one hanging by one foot with one of its wings extended in a silly pose. There are some rounded, decorative shapes around them.
A painting of two jackdaws closely inspecting each other. The upper half of the painting has dead autumn leaves, and a forget-me-not flower sprouts downwards, upside-down.
A painting of a Eurasian Jay, standing on a pile of peanuts and holding a peanut in its beak.
A painting of a flying magpie, rendered in the palette of the bisexual pride flag.
A painting of a turkey in the shadow of a dense underbrush.
A painting of a puffin on the edge of a grassy, flowery cliff, holding an iris in its beak.
A painting of three canadian geese, in various poses. The geese are coloured in shades of purple.
A painting of a black bittern. It appears to have failed to strike a fish, beak full of aquatic plants, and a bass leaping out of the water behind it.
A painting of three red-breasted geese, in various poses. There are geometric shapes aquatic plants in the background.
A painting of a montezuma oropendola, flying with vine in its mouth. There are small pieces of leaves and purple petals scattered around it.
A painting of a Magpie Tanager perched upside down on a twisting mass of thorned vines.

Avian August is a draw-a-day challenge, this one prompted by a list by Cookie Doves (though I chose my own random birds for 2020). I did this challenge for 4 years with the intention of simplifying my process and style, and I think it was a success!

These aren't every single piece I did, but the ones I'm still happy with.

You can purchase prints of these from my inPRNT collection!

2023

Flame-Breasted Fruit Dove
Guadalupe Junco
Yellow-Eyed Penguin
Golden-Shouldered Parrot
Puerto Rican Nightjar
Mallee Emu-Wren
Florida Scrub Jay
Glittering Starfrontlet
California Condor
Christmas Frigatebird
Sun Conure
ʻalalā, or Hawaiian Crow
Lesser Florican
Hawaiʻi ʻĀkepa
Elfin-Woods Warbler
Lear's Macaw
Loveridge's Sunbird
Guadalupe Murrelet
Kākāpō, or Owl Parrot
Spoon-Billed Sandpiper
Lulu's Tody-Flycatcher
Red-Breasted Goose
Brown Teal
Kiwi

2022

American Goldfinch
Ruddy Quail-Dove
Horned Grebe
ʻIʻiwi, or Scarlet Honeycreeper
Adélie Penguin
Azure Tit
Roseate Spoonbill
Lahore Pigeon
Wood Duck
Chestnut-Sided Warbler
American Robin
Gyrfalcon
Golden Conure
Melanistic Barn Owl
Snowcap Hummingbird
Red-Crowned Crane
Superb Bird-of-Paradise
Broad-Billed Tody
Barred Parakeet
Common Blackbird
Arctic Tern
Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo
American Woodcock
Black-Headed Jay
White-Headed Vulture
Red Junglefowl
Albino Ringneck Dove

2021

A painting of an Egyptian vulture on the ground facing away. Its head is turned around over its back, holding a turquoise stone in its beak. Egyptian vultures are known to use rocks to crack open eggs!
A painting of a Key West quail-dove walking amongst some rocks and dirt.
A painting of a chicken standing in some corn cobs, a leg perched up on one. It has a kernel in its mouth.
A painting of an African hoopoe perched on a bare, upright branch, beak slightly open.
A painting of a Steller's Jay on a branch, facing directly away from the viewer. It's looking over its back.
A painting of a musk lorikeet grasped on to a hanging branch, hunched over and looking to the side.
A painting of a little auk, or dovekie, resting on a cool grey rock. There are rocky shapes in the background in warmer shades.
A painting of a black-billed magpie standing on a branch. Its body is facing away from the viewer, showing off its iridescent tail.
A painting of a male gang-gang cockatoo on a branch of a eucalyptus tree, holding a hawthorn berry.
A painting of a great blue heron standing still in some shallow, windy water. Its head is lowered and eyes are trained below, waiting patiently for prey.
A painting of a puffleg hummingbird sitting on a branch, body towards the viewer and head turned to the side. There are two beads of water on its beak, which it seems to be inspecting.
A painting of a LeConte's sparrow standing betwee a split branch branch, one leg held on to each side of the split.
A painting of a Bohemian waxwing perched on the top of a bare branch, bent all the way over so its head is upside-down.
A painting of a marsh owl standing on the top of a tree stump, hunching over and looking at something in the distance.
A painting of a violet-green swallow sleeping on a brown, braided rope. Its beak is tucked into its back.
A painting of a princess parrot stood on a piece of wood, looking up with what appears to be a smile.
A painting of an ivory gull floating on the surface of dark waters, head nestled over its back and eyes closed.
A painting of a male lady amherst's pheasant, stepping towards the viewer as it inspects the ground. Long black and white striped feathers trail behind it.
A painting of a Welsh Harlequin duck wading in water, viewed from a high angle. There are beads of water all along its back and tail.
A painting of an eastern whip o' will settled down on a branch, whiskered head pointed up at a right angle. It's pretending to be part of the branch.
A painting of curl-crested aracari perched on a branch, leaning over and inspecting the ground.
A painting of a Hawaiian goose walking in some grass, stretching its wings up and out.
A painting of a Baltimore oriole standing on a half-slice of orange, nibbling at the fruit.
A painting of an American White Pelican floating on still water, body facing the viewing and head facing to the side. It has an impressive plate near the end of its beak. It's stretching a wing in the opposite direction of its head.

2020

Plate-Billed Mountain Toucan
White-Necked Raven
King Eider
Green Peafowl
Sword-Billed Hummingbird
Shoebill
Scissor-Tailed Flycatcher
Bearded Vulture
Secretary Bird
Luzon Bleeding-Heart
Little Egret
Willow Ptarmigan
Double-Crested Cormorant
Orpington Chicken
Cassowary
Red-Crested Turaco
Large-Billed Tern
Wood Grouse