So, I recently sold a short story to the anthology Zombies: Shambling Through History. Does it involve birds? Of course it does! Ravens, to be exact, but to learn more you will need to watch out for the book when it appears on shelves in 2013!
When an editor asked me for a story that didn’t involve birds (his magazine had just published a story with birds the month before) I found myself stymied for months. In nonfiction, I can venture as far afield as bats, ferrets, or my grandmother, but some strange creature is de rigeur for inspiration. As an artist, I can’t help it. I’m bound to birds.
This got me thinking about other bird art, visual bird art. We celebrate the artistic ornithologist like Audubon or Peterson, but what of the subtly different ornithological artist? Some of my favorites:
The Mincing Mockingbird (and the Frantic Meerkat) is Matt Adrian, who paints troubled, antisocial, but beautiful finches, owls, and more… the Fitzgeralds of the bird world.
Bird and Moon is the moniker of the nature comics by Rosemary Mosco. Many of you will be familiar with her seminal work “Birds are Gross”.
Near and dear to my heart is the Ghosts of Gone Birds project. Scores of talented artists, writers, and musicians have contributed to this effort, “dedicated to breathing life back into the birds we have lost – so we don’t lose anymore.”
Who are your favorites?
I agree that owls can look antisocial, the way they sort of look down their noses at you in a disapproving way, but I can’t imagine an antisocial finch.
Congratulations on the story sale, Carrie~!