H. C. Andersen & Raven

This Wordbird is a manifestation of my love for crows and Hans Christian Andersen!

The text is from two of his tales, "The Tallow Candle" and "The Ugly Duckling". The "Tallow Candle" is one of his earliest stories, written when he was about 20, and was just recently discovered in 2012!  I found it on a homemade, stapled, 2-page "fanzine" type publication for $1.50 at the H.C. Andersen Museum.

English translation here.  

As I was writing the "Ugly Duckling" portion of this Wordbird,  I stumbled upon this line in the story (somewhere around his shoulder!) "... and the raven who perched on the fence kept squawking 'Ow! Ow!'"  I hadn't seen that before I decided to put a squawking raven in the piece so I thought that was a nice bit of synchronicity!  Thanks H. C. !

Anne Of Green Gables

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This piece was commissioned for a serious "Anne Of Green Gables" fan!

The text is from the 1908 book by L. M. Montgomery.

Uncle Owl

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Happy Birthday!

Uncle is 90!

Lark On A Line!

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Is it good luck to be shat upon by a bird?  Perhaps!  But oh the despair when the turd hits the hair!  Remember... Before the splat hit your hat, it was a beautiful glop of a drop, falling warm, wet and free on it's way down to thee!

The Screaming Worm Series!

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Pregnant Rooster!

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Crow & Diver!

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Literature Owl!

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My pal Steve Bannatyne at Lucky Hat Entertainment commissioned this piece.  He asked for the text to be a Hunter S. Thompson short story from 1964 called, "What Lured Hemingway to Ketchum?" about Ernest Hemingway's fascination with Ketchum, Idaho, where he died and is buried.  I think Steve likes owls, as that was his bird request!

Macaw & Sparrow In The Studio!

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Worm Bird!

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I recently heard "The first bird gets the worm but the second mouse the cheese..." or something like that...

A Bitten Boy!

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This kid was always chuckin' rocks,  tossin' firecrackers and shootin' BB's at all the animals in his yard.  Each animal group he tortured (Fish, Reptile, Insect, Bird) sent a representative to gently give him a warning bite to knock it off!  Don't worry, he's fine.  Just a little shaken up....

Heron With Catch!

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Word Birds can either be representations of actual bird species such as this heron. Or abstract, bird-like representations are also welcome!  Speaking of herons, my cousin Ralph Mossman and his wife Mary Mullaney are magical glass blowers/sculptors.  They are Heron Glass!

Upwards Words!

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The First Word Birds!

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From June of 2007.  Originally posted as part of The Doodledorks  which was a collaborative drawing blog with David Fremont and Bob Boyle.  We took turns giving ourselves assignment subjects or themes to draw a doodle for and then posted our 3 entries together.  A poem usually accompanied each drawing.   This assignment was "WORDS."  Here's what the other chaps came up with!