Synopses & Reviews
George Miksch Sutton is one of the best known and most beloved bird artists of the twentieth century. This marvelous book presents thirty-five paintigs of downy chicks, nestlings, and fledglings painted from life by Sutton. The exquisite watercolrs, housed in the Field Museum of Natural History, span three decades and depict nineteen species of North American birds. Many of the paintings are reproduced here for the first time.
Sutton was fond of painting young birds from life and of recording their developmental changes. Marked by delicate bruskwork and subtle color variations, his paintings document characteristic features of the birdsand#8217; species as well as capturing the poses and attributes that make each bird seem so unique. Some paintings show not only juvenal plumage but also head portraits of adult plumage. The nineteen species include familiar garden birds such as cardinals, Great Plains inhabitants such as the grassland sparrows, and upland and wetland birds, including bobwhites, moorhens, and sandpipers.
In his introduction to the collection, ornithologist Paul Johnsgard discusses Suttonand#8217;s contributions to bird art and to ornithology. And is essays accompanying the paintings, Johnsgard describes his and Suttonand#8217;s personal encounters with the birds.
A tribute to Suttonand#8217;s genius as both an artist and an ornithologist, Baby Bird Portraits will be welcomed by ornithologists, bird enthusiasts, and Suttonand#8217;s legion of admirers.
About the Author
Paul A. Johnsgard, Foundation Professor Emeritus of Biological Sciences at the University of Nebraska, is author of more than thirty books.