The Gleaners
(2015)
Subject: Red-winged Blackbird pair in Florida Everglades Dimensions (inches): 32 x 48 Medium: Acrylic on Art Panel Description: Some of the most amazing things in nature happen in grand displays but we miss a lot if we don't take the time to appreciate the little things. Magic happens on every level in nature! That's why it's important to consider the entire ecosystem in our conservation efforts, not just certain species. While on a birdwatching expedition in a storm treatment area of the Florida Everglades just south of Lake Okeechobee, I spotted this pair of Red-winged Blackbirds carefully inching down the tall grass stalks to feed on seeds. The grain tassels were too flimsy to support even a bird's weight so the smart creatures would clamber down as far as they could to hoist up the individual seed tassels. They would hold them up with one claw and pick the kernels out. Something about this made me think of the famous painting "The Gleaners" by Jean-François Millet, in which the peasants gathered the leftover grain in the fields after the harvest. I had traveled to the Everglades to see and paint charismatic birds like falcons, cranes and flamingos. But nothing impressed me that day as much as these clever little "peasants".
Original Available For Sale:
Yes
Price: $4,850.00 US
Limited Edition Available:
Yes
Details: Signed and numbered limited edition giclee on canvas. Edition Size: 50 Price: $1,800.00 US
Conservation Committment: 10% (Artist commits to donating the indicated portion of proceeds to conservation)
