Artist Statement
I am continually impressed by the hard work done by Lights Out Baltimore on behalf of creating a bird-safe urban environment. During migration especially, the dangers presented to birds by our city landscape and its acres of windows, its constellations of light, are formidable indeed. The image of volunteers going out each early morning to gather up the bodies of birds from the sidewalks, where they have fallen after hitting windows during their night flights, is a haunting one to me. The few that survive are taken to Phoenix Wildlife Center where they may hopefully recover and be released.
I have tried to create a range of work, expressing the beauty and personality of birds, along with image metaphors combining figure and bird. I have endeavored to avoid too much anger, or blame, or despair. Rather, I want to create a visual context within which to think about birds and our impact on their lives.
I have deliberately presented the work in plastic sleeves, which simulate both the delicacy of flight and the reflectivity of glass windows. My goal is to create an atmosphere of ethereality and fragility, such as that projected by birds.
