a bevy of birds

For reasons mostly unkown, birds have been popping up everywhere in our house. I know that birds are nothing new, and frankly, I've been a bit leary of birds simply because they seem to be popular in art and design these days. But all of a sudden, I'm addicted.

At a low point this summer Jay had a profound interaction with a tiny and precious winged creature. Soon after, we purchased a massive drawing by Nicholas DiGenova because the subject matter was timely and even better, it spoke to us both. The image above is just a detail - the piece houses mulitple creatures with multiple heads, referencing some psuedo-science from centuries past. Next up is a souvenir from my New York trip; I never leave the city without a visit to the American Folk Art Museum. I enjoy the museum itself, but I also love the great gift shop. This brooch with miniature blackbird satisfied a jewelry fix I didn't even know I had. Then some resin bird buttons are the best detail of an otherwise classic brown cardigan I also picked up in New York. This leaves only one more bird mention...and by far, the most personal.

I've been trying hard to get back into my own artwork for a few weeks now, which is never an easy goal. Without truly knowing why, I began making bird stencils while looking for a way to use common stamping materials. I think, deep down, I imagine birds as messengers and the work I've been experimenting with is all about the hidden messages women have a urgent need to release. So this is where my addiction has led me, birds teetering on my own white pages, a product of my own hands. But if they harken me into my studio, I take all my reservations and silly comments back.

Wings are just where it's at. And I wholeheartedly join the bird revolution.