I was never a big birder. Ironically, it was not until moving to the city that ornithological interests trickled into my hobbies and art. Who would have thought that the Chicago region – home to nearly 10 million people – would inspire this series about birds? This comes as no surprise to Chicago nature enthusiasts; the city is actually a great place for watching birds. Positioned along the Mississippi Flyway, hundreds of bird species migrate through Chicago every year. It is a miraculous phenomenon that I love to capture with paint.
 
This series presents a sample of Chicago birds as I experience them: sharp, savvy, focused, and urban. I use homemade paints and India ink to translate their unique features and songs to paper. From the pervasive pigeon to the rare red-headed woodpecker, the birds in this series – while often overlooked – are active and important city neighbors. 

This series is currently on exhibit at the Barrington Area Library through March, 2017. Reproductions are for sale online and at the Andersonville Galleria. Inquire with artist about originals.
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Backyard Birds: The North Pond, Chicago

Each of the yellow circles in the background above represents the highest number of that bird species documented at Chicago's North Pond on a given day by citizen scientists using ebird.org, a website for tracking bird observations. For example, the first image - a Red-tailed Hawk - has two yellow circles indicating that the most individuals seen on any day were two! 
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Backyard Birds: Rogers Park, Chicago

These pieces are inspired by the sights and sounds of my neighborhood bird sightings. Each small portrait features a migratory or resident bird I encountered within one block of my mailbox. The line patterns in the background of each painting correspond to each bird species’ song. Notice the difference between the sharp lines of the Ring-billed Gull's call and the soft curves of the Mourning Dove's song.