Why Birds?

 

Oriental Kingfisher

April 2026

9x12

So why am I so fascinated by birds?  It's obvious that they are a favorite subject for my art, but getting to the bottom of why is a little tricky.

My high school art teacher taught me to 

always start with the eye 

Birds are beautiful, obviously.  Well, most of them are - I have no desire to start painting buzzards or nightjars, but there are oodles of species of birds and after years of looking for inspiration, I still find ones I have never seen or heard of before.

Take this little oriental kingfisher, for instance.  So appealing, so vibrant. So jewel-like.

You might say the same thing about flowers - and you'd be right.  

But birds have personality.  They have individuality and character. Sometimes they're even silly.  And the variety of birds on this planet!  My goodness, I can go on painting them forever.

Birds often appear to be soft or fluffy, and having handled many birds in my life, I can attest that feathers feel nice. They also smell nice, or parrots do, anyway.  But now I'm straying.

I think the most appealing aspect of birds as subjects for my art is that they are elusive.  

They are shy. 

They are free.

 

Capturing a bird in a work of art is a small way of keeping it as a pet.  I can enjoy their beauty and I can struggle with reproducing their appearance, and then I can claim a bit of ownership over a being that I may not ever see with my own eyes.

In my daily practice of saying Compline with my husband, we often come across verses that describe God as having wings and/or feathers. God Himself uses birds as a way to describe His character.  I think that's wonderful.

All the tiny details 

And although I don't usually include flowers, there is always some botanical element

Making some of the details really subtle brings me joy.

And so, in conclusion: why birds? 

Why not?