Exhibit Statement excerpt:

…the way that an animal’s appearance and behavior are distilled over time, the colors it displays to attract a mate or deter a predator: those are the results of evolution, and serve essential functions. The fact that these adaptations are beautiful is sometimes incidental (such as in camouflage), and often intentional (such as in attracting a mate). An aesthetically pleasing appearance therefore supports survival of the species, and vice versa. Either way, beauty is necessary for survival.

As birders, we identify in segments. We first see a beak, a wing bar, an eye ring, or a yellow rump. We may recognize a species by the way it moves, or by its vocalizations. Over time, each becomes familiar, and we start to understand them more wholly. In my work, I similarly break down or dissect each species into their essential components and energy, and reimagine them.