After documenting unfamiliar species on their expedition, Lewis and Clark delegated the official describing of these species to scientists and artists, most of whom had never seen them alive. To represent the artists' difficult task, I've created paintings that seem more like scenes fabricated by stagehands than snapshots of real life. The images feature crowded vignettes with plants inspired by flattened herbarium specimens. Birds are tucked in like flowers in a bouquet or float like boats among the foliage.
"Whistlers in the Madrone"
30" x 24" - Mixed Media |
"Wild Pigeon in Hedgeapple"
11" x 14" - Mixed Media |
"Kildees in the Snowberry"
9" x 12" - Mixed Media |
"Kooskooskee River Birds in Buckthorn"
11" x 14" - Mixed Media |
"Blue Jay Birds (Pinyon Jays)"
16" x 16" - Mixed Media |
"Small Blackbirds in Small-leafed Thorn"
8" x 10" - Mixed Media |
"Black Woodpeckers (Lewis' Woodpeckers)"
16" x 20" - Mixed Media
16" x 20" - Mixed Media