process

I spend about half my time painting and the other half researching, photographing, and observing birds. I carefully choose poses, glances, and behaviors that feel especially beautiful or interesting. To try to understand the birds I paint, I’ve spent hours in libraries and natural history museums throughout Mediterranean cities, studying their size, appearance, and behavior. I love photographing the birds I see repeatedly and later discovering small, expressive details in the images.

I'm especially influenced by centuries-old bird etchings from natural history books, created before digital printing. These illustrations relied on detailed linework to simplify and hand-coloring. I take a similar approach, focusing on the details I can capture in my drawings before applying paint. I love seeing textures and shadows take form—like foot wrinkles or feather details—directly through the lines.