For me, it is the idea of their point of view, they experience their life on this earth so differently than we do. Our relationship to them is distant, but they offer us the idea of a wonderful perspective. The tradition of bird imagery in Japanese ukiyo-e art is particularly indicative of this quality, expressing the fleeting nature of life, the beauty of holding an awareness of the brief and passing moment.Though I have made no new bird prints in some time, I know it is a theme I will be returning to.
