Nesting

The bonds formed between mated pairs of parrots are among the strongest known in the animal kingdom. They rival the bonds humans create. We can observe in their behavior actions similar to human affection such as spending a large amount of time in actual physical contact to their mate, shared nest-building and rearing young, and defense of their territory. We also see parrots take this strong need for connection into our homes, forming bonds with their chosen humans much like in the wild.

        Managing the bond parrots create with their humans is fascinating and challenging. They are like a sexually mature three-year-old with a high level of intelligence and social need. Handling over-bonding and hormonal behavior can be perplexing, since unlike dogs and cats, parrots cannot be neutered. Reproductive issues range from aggression to chronic egg laying. My own parrot faced issues of nesting when she became egg-bound after we moved to a new home. She required major abdominal surgery, much like a cesarean section preformed on a human but on a very delicate and tiny scale. I realized at that time she had made a significant connection to me. It was not unlike what I was doing in a new place: making new connections, forming new relationships, bonding to others.

         I am investigating these connections, both with people and parrots, using their bird forms to symbolize and discuss the human need for connection. These snapshots of life with parrots come from my own experience: of my own parrot, and from friendships in my life, and their parrots. The images are also a reinvestigation of traditional drawing skills not unlike the traditional portrait qualities of the atelier method. The slow buildup of form and value has a meditative quality that allows me a space to contemplate these portraits.

        For me drawing is a primary expression through mark making that contains life and a feeling of purpose by gesture and structure. Mark making allows me to further investigate texture and develop value. The traditional media of graphite enhances textural explorations such as the feathers in the bird images. Graphite also imbues a classical expression to a non-traditional portrait of our feathered friends and the lives they lead in our homes. I am also undertaking color studies with this theme to further the excitement.

        The conversation lead by drawing is a philosophy of seeing. It is a way of knowing a subject through labor and practice. Rendering by observation increases the intimacy of a subject. I want to draw as sensitively and accurately the joy connections bring to our lives.