Staking Out a Claim

Original 24" X 36"

Limited edition of 225 giclee prints 16" x 24"

Spring is my favorite time of the year. There are signs of new life everywhere, but nowhere on a greater scale than in our swamps and wetlands. For years I have watched the red-winged blackbirds squabble over territorial rights at this time of year. The first version of this painting was done in 1985. It was signed and framed, but I never liked it and I didn't show it much. I had used a frozen specimen as reference and my bird looked like a frozen specimen. Although anatomically correct, it just didn't have the raucous aggressive attitude that a red-winged blackbird displays at this time of the year. So in 2004 I broke out the sandpaper and wiped out a large portion of the painting, redoing the blackbird, much of the surrounding area and the water. I was originally attracted to this idea because the reeds and grasses had a sort of woven involvement that was very abstract, but with the real textures of our environment. The bird and environment now come together in a design that I'm proud to show.