Put a Bird on It! (part 2)

Once again, I bring you further evidence that art can never be too full of birds.  In my last post, we looked at the origin of birds in art, and some early examples as well as a few contemporary ones. These are all contemporary, spanning a wide range of styles, methods, and media.

Fred Tomaselli, Big Raven

I think his process is fascinating...

Fred Tomaselli, Work in Progress

A free bird leaps on the back of the wind
and floats downstream till the current ends
and dips his wing in the orange suns rays and dares to claim the sky...

... But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams
his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
his wings are clipped and his feet are tied so he opens his throat to sing...

- Maya Angelou, excerpt from I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

photographic work by British artist Lesley Bricknell

In order to see birds it is necessary to become part of the silence.   - Robert Lynd

Jay, by Karl Martens

Some birds are not meant to be caged, that's all. Their feathers are too bright, their songs too sweet and wild. So you let them go, or when you open the cage to feed them they somehow fly out past you. And the part of you that knows it was wrong to imprison them in the first place rejoices, but still, the place where you live is that much more drab and empty for thier departure.

-Stephen King, Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption: A Story from Different Seasons

Beauty by Mo Crow (Mo Orkiszewski)

I realized that if I had to choose, I would rather have birds than airplanes.
- Charles Lindbergh

Lindsey Carr, Garden

You have to believe in happiness,
Or happiness never comes ...
Ah, that's the reason a bird can sing -
On his darkest day he believes in Spring.

Douglas Malloch, You Have To Believe.

Be Still and Know, David Arms

I hope you love birds too. It is economical. It saves going to heaven.    - Emily Dickenson

Penny Hallas


Hold fast to dreams for if dreams die, life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly.
- Langston Hughes

 Joshua Yeldham, Prayer for Protection

Some artists make birds from metal...

Steampunk birds by  Jim Mullan

Found object sculpture by Harriet Mead 

Bird, Alexander Calder, 1952


...and other materials, like found objects...

assemblage artist Ron Pippin

... while some prefer paper...

Dream of Flying, Selkie Bindery (apparently no longer in business and has taken down its website))

Polly Verity, paper and wire bird

Even when a bird walks, one feels it has wings.   - Antoine-Marin Lemierre

Elsa Mora

Matazo Kayama


 There is nothing in which birds differ more from man than the way in which they can build and yet leave a landscape as it was before.   - Robert Lynd

Watch this amazing video to see proof beyond a shadow of a doubt of the grace and complete beautiousity of birds!

Some artists like to literally put a bird ON it.

On someone's head, perhaps...

Totem, Dominique Fortin 

Migration, Andrey Remnev

Der Rabenkonig  by Christian Schloe

...or on their shoulders and lap.

Frida Kahlo, Yo y mis pericos, 1941


A bird looks especially delightful on anything surrealistic, as you can see.

Maggie Taylor, But who Has Won?


I value my garden more for being full of blackbirds than of cherries, and very frankly give them fruit for their songs.      - Joseph Addison

Claire Brewster, We are on Our Way


Birds sing after a storm; why shouldn't people feel as free to delight in whatever sunlight remains to them?
- Rose Kennady

And then, just when you think you've seen it all, there's the uniquely exquisite work of Chris Maynard, who actually cuts tiny bird compositions from feathers.  How he does it is beyond me; I'd surely be pulling my hair out in frustration if I tried something like this.  I'm pretty sure it's done by magic; I think you'll agree.

Peacock Attraction by Chris Maynard

Chris Maynard, Hummingbird

Macaw, Chris Maynard

According to the artist, "Feathers mark nature's pinnacle of achievement: the intersection of function and beauty."  To find out more about Chris and his work, including where he gets the feathers, go here.

I love this piece, entitled, "I Wish I could Fly", but don't know who the artist is. If you do, please let me know; I would like to credit him/her.  [ Update: The artist who made this piece contacted me; I'm happy to now be able to tell you that it was done by South African artist Nicolette Geldenhuys.]  I wish I could fly, too- don't we all?  I guess that's why humans are so enamored with these graceful, gravity-defying creatures.  But unfortunately, we can't. So whenever you feel sad and blue, just do what I do... 

... Put a bird on it!