ARTIST STATEMENT

“This painting depicts the symbiotic relationship of two native Michigan birds. The red-bellied woodpecker can be found in Michigan all year and produces holes for both nesting in the spring and roosting in the winter. In this case, it’s depicted roosting in a white oak tree. The Eastern bluebird migrates back to Michigan in the spring and is depicted creating a nest in the mold cavity that the woodpecker has left behind. The mural elevates a relationship in the local natural world that typically goes unnoticed. Passage of time was also a theme within the criteria of the building owner, touched on through the passing of the seasons and the illustration of birds in motion. It’s really about taking a simple occurrence between two small creatures and blowing it up into a large dynamic painting. It may serve as a small educational experience for some viewers or just a formal graphic art experience for others.”

https://www.annarborartcenter.org/art-in-public/murals/jacob-dwyer/