Oh, birds. I love to see them, listen to them and draw them. Birds can be real or symbolic.
A bird can be conveyed in a single line, as in this French fabric from 1886.
Or in many lines, as in the Pennsylvania Dutch Fraktur from 1815:
I have a flock of bird images pinned up in my studio for inspiration. Here are a few of them.
Owls by C.F.A. Voysey from England (1897):
Peacock from a 1920’s Japanese Matchbox: 
Gluckwunsche from the Wiener Werkstatte:
I put birds in my paintings, fabric and books. These birds were from my first fabric line, Folklorica.
I painted these Golden Birds for my sister.
And designed a line of fabric called Chickadee.
But after the terribly apt Portlandia episode (Put A Bird on It) I felt ashamed of this love. I must be able to think of something else to draw!
Of course I found other subject matter.
But birds flew back into paintings –
and paper cuts:
and onto quilts:
Birds are all around us, real and imaginary.
I think that if you feel like it, you should put a bird on it. Why not?
love, love, love, love, love them all. I have a small black & white paper cutting of yours of 2 birds over an open book–which I also love, love, love, love! Keep up the good work! Cathy
PS–doesn’t look like I have any plans to get to WA. Leaving for NYC on Tues. for 5 days–will get to see the Illustration show!
Have fun in NY! Will you get to see the Matisse paper cuts? That would be top on my list.
Loved the bird musings! The collected bits and illustrations too bit the ponderings are taking center stage for me. Illustrated journey of a talented artist.