Oh my goodness, oh my gracious. I've found a new artist to love. Anyone who knows me, knows I love birds. And you know how much I love colorful, whimsical art. I walked into this funky little place called Cake Vintage around the corner from my hotel and there, on a shelf above the register, were several mini portraits of the most fanciful, wise, and whimsical birds I have ever seen. My jaw dropped and I just stared. The gal behind the register told me that the artist firmly believes that if birds can make their own nests, well, then, they can certainly make their own hats. Sounds completely reasonable to me. In fact, I can't think of anything more logical. The longer I stared, the more I fell in love with these birds. Each had its own hat, its own personality, and the expressions on their faces told me everything I needed to know.
The artist is Vicki Sawyer and she paints things other than birds.
But the birds are my favorite.
Here are some of her comments, copied from her website:
"When I was a little girl, my grandfather taught me how to identify the plants on our walks in the woods. My mother’s childlike joy in even the simplest things taught me to be visually aware. From my dad I received my love for birds."
"Shortly after moving to Tennessee, I went for a walk and thought, 'If birds could build nests, then they could make hats.' This whimsical notion has been the inspiration for many bird and animal portraits."
"I want my work to evoke feelings of peace, joy, and often humor."
I was struck by how much Vicki's philosophy regarding art mirrors my own. In my original "Anything Whimiscal, Anything Colorful" post I said this, "I am inspired by art that supports a lighthearted, energetic, and carefree atmosphere... Their color and energy touch something deep inside of me, sparking joy and peace-of-mind." I also said this about Chris Bubany, one of the local Arizona artists whose work I love, " Her designs are charming, colorful, and quaintly humorous. "
Vicky Sawyer creates whimsical, colorful, joyful, peaceful, humorous, dignified, wondrous birds. I love her birds. She is having a showing of her original work this weekend in Brentwood, TN. I'm going.
This one is called Armando. Of course, I love his prickly pear hat.
I emailed Vicki and asked her if I could write about her and use some of her pictures. She wrote back right away and gave me permission to use her art on this post. Thank you, Vicki! To learn more about Vicki and to see more of her remarkable art, please visit her website by clicking here. You may also order many delightful items showcasing her art at zazzle.com/vickisawyer.
I've said it before but I will say it again. I stand in awe of gifted artists who have the ability and talent to create such lovely images. What an incredible gift to bring such joy, beauty, and humor to this world.
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