Many of my bird images evolve from the daily walks I take around Santa Barbara.. Hummingbirds have been a popular subject matter for me as I enjoy replicating their delicate bodies and fanciful colors. The quail has also caught my attention with its topknot and intricately patterned wings. My bird paintings are smaller in size and sometimes contain collage elements enmeshed in the paint. Many of the chickens I paint reside in our backyard in our children's former playhouse. I have created "portraits" of many of them. Most often I create them in a much larger size than life in order to portray their ever presence in our life. Their facial expressions are worthy of capturing. They are tough to photograph, and oftentimes take many tries to get one good image, but well worth the effort.