Description

On Top of Her Game,
Rosy-Faced Lovebird and Saguaro Blooms
28×22 oil on canvas

(Commission)

Since the beginning of the pandemic, and especially during our extreme summer here in the southwest, when my eyes roam the landscape in search of life and color, they focus and fixate on birds. I love gazing out my kitchen window mid-afternoon. The grass is in bad shape but the birds don’t care. It’s a shady oasis complete with plenty of bugs. The same motley crew comes daily; the pale colored dove, two little gold finches, a gila woodpecker, and a thrasher. I purposefully keep my windows clean so that I can see, with clarity and delight, the activity of my feathered friends.

If you live in the Phoenix area, you’ll recognize the bird in this painting. The rosy-faced lovebird has a history not unlike many of us who are from somewhere else, but have found our home here in Arizona. The theory is that sometime in the 1980’s escaped pet parrots began to survive the desert thanks to available water and nesting habitat. They are essentially feral birds living a resort life. Sometimes, on morning walks, their loud squeaks halt my stride, and I gaze up to spot their bright plumage atop a blooming saguaro or palm tree. In my own personal moments of sadness or discouragement I have been surprised and delighted to hear their song. When they visit your yard, it’s a gift.

This painting was created for a special professional woman here in the valley. Like the lovebird, she not only has made Arizona her home, but has thrived making other homes more beautiful as well.

A special thank you to Lawrence Finkel, a true master with a camera and an eye towards the skies, for the wonder photo from which to work.

dh

9.25.20