No matter how old I get, I still experience a unique thrill when I have the opportunity to observe a bird I have never before seen in person. Such was the case in the winter of 2023. I was in Jackson Hole to observe elk and research for a large-scale Pattern Painting inspired by the National Elk Refuge. After more bumpy sleigh rides out onto the refuge than I care to admit, I was getting restless with my routine, so I asked Pierce Tome of Astoria Fine Art where he would recommend I go to see some other wildlife. He got me excited about the possibility of encountering foxes at Coulter Bay, so off I went. I never did see any sign of foxes, but I was thrilled to encounter a large and boisterous mixed flock of Grey-Headed Rosy Finches and Common Redpolls. I painted the Rosy Finches in 2024 in a piece titled “The Visitors.” This piece is the follow-up.

The hard, dark shapes of the birds as they fed on fallen seeds amidst the snow, strongly suggested the graphic nature of my Pattern Series. I have, of course, painted several of the birds “realistically” in full detail, but elsewhere, the birds have melded into non-objective patterns and colors. The effect is a stylized and systematized version of what I saw. I have been working on this pattern series for many years now, and I feel like I am approaching the point where I will have said all that I need for these paintings to say; as such, this may well be the last of that series. The palette, while inspired by the red, pink, white, buff, brown, and black of the Redpolls, spins off into the fanciful, with pinks, purples, and oranges dominating the composition. Using my very favorite colors seems a fitting way to bring this series to a close.