When my sons were little, their father entered hospice after a long cancer battle. There was an aviary in the living room of the hospice house, and watching the birds was a welcome distraction for my very young sons at the time. Years later, thinking back to that time from a more healed perspective, I was struck by the fact that someone, long before we landed there, thought an aviary would bring comfort to family members. Someone cleans and maintains it. That was many years ago, and my sons are all taller than me now. I try to capture the spirit of playfulness as younger boys in my bird paintings.
