Among the waterbirds in the aviary at Brookgreen Gardens in South Carolina, the black-crowned night heron is distinctive among the light-colored ibises, egrets, and herons wading and nesting in the brackish water. Although these herons are mostly nocturnal, daytime visitors often see them walking in the marsh, standing on branches, gathering sticks for their nests, and flying to and sitting on their nests. The black-crowned night heron is among the birds threatened by loss of habitats as well as by toxins and plastics in the waters where they fish. In some parts of the world, adults, chicks, and eggs are hunted as food and medicine. My black-crowned night heron is a playful representation of this colorful bird with its bright red eye, based on a photograph I took during a visit to Brookgreen.
Many birds are challenged by loss of habitat from natural disasters as well as climate change and commercial development. My art honors these birds through hand-cut, sculpted, layered papers that offer a playful and colorful representation of their forms and feathers. Rare and endangered birds are especially vulnerable, and I hope my art draws attention to their plight and demonstrates hope for their survival. As Emily Dickinson wrote: “Hope is the thing with feathers.”
