Florida Scrub Jay, Daisy ~ "Family Ties" ~ "Songbirds & Friends" ~ Watercolor

The Florida Scrub Jay is the only bird found nowhere on earth but Florida, and it keeps one of the most touching habits in the bird world: grown young stay with their parents for a year or more, helping to raise the next brood and guard the family's patch of scrub. They are a true family, and that is exactly what I wanted this piece to carry.

I painted one among daisies, that soft white against the jay's dusty blue, the gentleness of the flower setting off the boldness of the bird. These jays are curious and fearless and increasingly rare as their scrub habitat shrinks, which makes every portrait feel a little like a record worth keeping. I worked it wet-on-wet, in layers, with no drawing underneath, after years of watching how this particular blue catches the Florida light.

An original watercolor on paper, one of a kind. 'Family Ties' -- a portrait of a bird that knows how to stay close.

Materials:  Each watercolor original is unique, the only one of its kind. Created on 300lb Arches Watercolor Paper with Japanese Sumi-é watercolor paint designed to last a lifetime.

Framing: Each piece is elegantly presented with light grey matting in a handmade wooden frame with a grey-washed finish. UV plexiglass and archival materials ensure long-lasting preservation. Crafted with care, our frames are 1.5" deep and handcrafted from solid wood by our trusted local framer.

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