Birds are something you have to live in the present moment to appreciate. And I think that is why for most of my life I did not. Appreciate birds that is.
The article ‘Sarah Stone’s Unseen World’ Highlights Avian Paintings by an 18th-Century Talent‘ provides a great sampling of Stone’s work. I recommend you click through and browse them.
Sarah Stone (1759-1844) was a British illustrator and the daughter of a fan painter, whose rich depictions of birds and artifacts highlight a singular talent during an era when women weren’t even permitted to be members of London’s prestigious Royal Academy.
For various reasons, I was always very forward-looking. And in that mindset, birds are a distraction. Today I am more in the present. With the birds.
At time when photography was decades away from being invented, these paintings offer an incredible amount of detail and artistry.