Ode to Audubon - Roseate Spoonbill

The story

Living in Galveston, Texas I became interested in learning about the shorebirds there by accident. That area is right under a byway for many migratory birds, so birding in that area is taken very seriously. The enthusiasts visiting for that reason rubbed off on me! We also visited the Audubon Museum in Key West, and I was fascinated with his life sized watercolors compiled in his famous book, The Birds of America (1827). I have a small portfolio of these prints in my own collection. I wanted to pay homage to him and recreate these in my unique way, in paper! The pieces in this series are largely the same composition and colors as the originals by Audubon. His writings give great detail about his discoveries on each bird, their habitat, eating, breeding, and migratory habits. Any combination of the five pieces in this series makes an interesting suite for any coastal bird lover!

“Although rather abundant on some parts of the coast of Florida, I found it more so along the Bay of Mexico, particularly in Galveston Bay in the Texas, where, as well as on the Florida Keys, it breeds in flocks. The Spoonbills are so sensible of cold, that those which spend the winter on the Keys, near Cape Sable in Florida, rarely leave those parts for the neighborhood of St. Augustine before the first days of March.” John James Audubon