BLOGTOBERFEST13 (Day 18) The art of falling in love with the baby American oystercatcher

PORTRAIT OF AN AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER CHICK. (Art by Hallelujah Truth)

Dear Readers, fellow Spiritual Art Pilgrims, I have fallen in love with the baby American oystercatcher and feel as though I am delving into something profound! Thanks to Jen Hilburn and her photographs! I am here to proclaim this:  

That which we study, we become! 

Want to develop a closer relationship to NATURE? Study what you can find in your back yard or that squirrel, insect, flower, or bird that captures your interest. Experience for yourself what it's like to become  a part of something beyond our own human species. 

As I have spent time examining these photos of American oystercatcher hatchlings  that Jen emailed me last week, I have been going deeper into what beaks, feathers, eyes, and egg shells are like. 

Part of the way I go about creating an image is to explore my feelings in response to these baby American oystercatchers. In this image below, I began to feel like a proud parent. "Look at my chick! She made it into this world splendidly!" I tell myself proudly. "Let's commemorate this moment in all time!" FLASH! The portrait is taken!

NEWLY EMERGED FROM THE EGG. This baby American oystercatcher's feathers are still wet after "cracking" its way out of the shell. (photo by Jen Hilburn, ornithologist on St. Catherines Island, Georgia, USA)

Since I consider myself, a intuitive artist--one who draws from her heart and feelings--I have fun playing around with my first responses to an image. I see more than the physical or literal bird. 

With this photo below that Jen took of a new hatchling in her lab on St. Catherines Island, I immediately saw SUPER AMOY!

SUPER AMOY 017. To ensure that some of the American oystercatchers' eggs survive long enough to hatch successfully, Jen Hilburn takes a certain amount to her lab and incubates them. In this way, these eggs do not get washed away by storm surges or eaten by predators. (photo by Jen Hilburn, ornithologist on St. Catherines Island, Georgia, USA)

 So here is the image, I couldn't wait to make!

SUPER AMOY! Yes! Making art is fun. Yes, I have fallen in love with the baby American oystercatcher and want to see if my art can play some role in helping people like you learn about its plight. (Art by Hallelujah Truth)

I feel saddened that the American oystercatcher needs "super powers" if it is not going to be driven to extinction. Ornithologists like Jen Hilburn and volunteers are working up and down the east coast of the United States, doing what they can to extend the life of this beautiful shorebird. 

Is there HOPE for the survival of this endangered bird? 

That's Coffee with Hallelujah. SOUL BLOG with me and tell me about the hope you have for the survival of the animals we love that are disappearing from our Earth.