Why the bird?

Someone asked me the significance of the bird in North Adams yesterday. The visitor was making connections between the birds in all of my work right now–and the Mike Glier giant grackle at the Porches Inn. My work is completely unrelated to Glier’s, and both are not, at least to my knowledge, related to North Adams.

My bird imagery relates to ideas of nesting and rebirth. I imagine the womb as a nest and an incubator for creative ideas, not just babies. I also see it as a gestation place for learning, gaining strength and life. The nest/bird/baby/idea that grows there then must come out somehow–through song, creation, and birth.  The bird inside and outside of the body outline tries to express this.

I then weave tree imagery with the bird to suggest other relationships. Sometimes it’s fear and darkness, which the forest often is. Sometimes it’s comfort and peace, which the forest also is.

Rilke comes to mind too, here’s a piece from Rilke’s Book of Hours, translated by Anita Barrows and Johanna Macy:

 Trusting the heaviness, trusting in general, and being patient with that process is crucial for any of us to fly–to whatever it is that we need to be or do in our lives. This bounces back and forth in my brain as I create, hoping that I’m making the connections visually that will resonate for me and for others. Look for a post in the next week with some of the more recent prints that continue to explore this.