After Audubon

When I am drawing simply for the joy of graphite I often return to my favorite Audubon piece, ‘Mockingbird.’ This illustration, Plate 21 in Birds of America, shows three mockingbirds defending a nest from an invading rattlesnake. I have a distinct memory of staring at this stunning image in an unwieldy Audubon book in the stacks of my college library. Over the past few years, I have revisited this piece again and again, seeking to recreate the tension Audubon communicated in my own bird and snake pairings. Explore a selection of these drawings below.