Who has not experienced the delight of the morning bird chorus or had their spirits lifted by the sight of a bird in flight or perched on a telephone wire or tree branch close by?

I’m excited to show you the new paintings I did specifically for the Emeryville bus shelters, based on birds I have actually observed in Emeryville.

Each bird painting is paired with an inspiring or uplifting quote that gets to the heart of what birds have to offer us with their presence, song and beauty.

I choose the lightness and airiness and luminosity of watercolor to convey the essence of each bird, leaving plenty of white space to fully illuminate the luscious fluid qualities of pigment on paper and create a calming, open feeling to each piece.

The teacher in me couldn’t pass up this opportunity to offer some resources people to who want to learn more about the bird species. In addition to putting in the common name and species name of each bird on each poster there is also a  QR code on each one so people at the bus stop who were carrying smartphones could access a web page from my favorite site for bird information and access bird songs, see photos and read descriptions.

Birds are one of the few species that can easily adapt to human encroachment, yet so few of us city dwellers can name most of the birds with which we share our day-to-day existence with. I have a deep commitment to native species understanding and education. I see this project as a way to invite the people who live, work and shop in of Emeryville to understand a bit more about their neighbors – the bird species that surround us.

So profound, yet so simple.

The sky. It seems like ours, so close to this earth, so much a part of our weather, our daily life. But the sky doesn’t end when it reaches the earth’s atmosphere; it continues for billions of light years.

It’s easy to get caught up in our everyday lives. Our own concerns become everything.

Sometimes we forget that we are more than our important work, our pressing daily tasks. We forget that life stretches far, far beyond this. And yet it’s all contained in one moment.

Now is the time to remember that each moment, each mark, each breath is our true home.

the sky touches every world
opening reception May 3, 2014  4:00 – 7:00 pm
view the work by appointment through May 15 by calling 510.654.4907
a.Muse Gallery
416 Alabama Street @18th Street San Francisco, California USA