'Tis the Season

The illustrations in this little collection of "bird cards" were originally created as silk screen prints, my Christmas cards through the years. I started the series while living at Betty's Delight, Port Tobacco, Maryland, in 1968, and continued after moving to the Northern Neck of Virginia in 1980, first in Lancaster County and now in Lottsburg, Northumberland County. The birds are the familiar visitors to my bird feeder and those commonly seen in this rural, water oriented area. The Muscovy ducks and African geese (and cats) were family pets. The silk screen process is a technique in which paint is squeegeed through a stencil affixed to a piece of silk which is stretched on a frame, onto paper. A separate stencil and printing run are required for each color in the design.