The Tiny Aviary

It's been too long since my last post here at 600 Birds. It's easy to get swept up in the holiday craziness that happens both at work and at home. Add to that all the snow shoveling that I've been doing lately and it's no surprise that I've found little time for blogging.

One of the many duties that has been filling my time has been holiday shopping. It seems that every year, while on that quest for a perfect gift for someone else, I come across something that I just have to have myself. Well this year I treated myself to a print by Chicago area artist and fellow bird nut, Diana Sudyka. I first came across Diana's work while admiring that of husband's, Jay Ryan. Below is a copy of the print that I purchased for myself.
I'm a huge fan of illustration, including comic books. Diana's illustrations bring together elements of a lot of my favorite things: nature, art, science, music, and whimsy. Her work reminds me of a mix between the stylized drawings of John James Audubon and Edward Gorey.

You can see a lot of her bird artwork as well as anecdotes about working with the skins collection at the field museum at her blog, The Tiny Aviary. Gig posters can be found here.

Below are some of my other favorites by Diana.