I’m participating in A Loving Spoonful’s Project Empty Bowl Art Auction again this year, with another Bird painting. The Loving Spoonful is a charity that helps provide nutritional food for people living with HIV/AIDS. Here is an excerpt from their website:

The role of good nutrition in the management of HIV/AIDS has become increasingly important over the past two decades. Access to nutritious food is one of the most powerful weapons available to fight the devastating effects of AIDS.

I decided to participate in this cause after a friend asked me to donate a piece last year. When I travelled in Africa, back in 1997, I saw people who were clearly affected by ukimwi, “the skinny disease”. It was frightening and sad to see people with no resources suffering in this way. This is my way of giving back closer to home.

Last year, I’m proud to say that the sale of my painting raised $2000 for this worthy cause. This year, they asked me to be their feature artist. Let’s hope this new painting, called Flight, Oil on canvas, 36″ x 48″ will bring in the same generous amount. I’m quite pleased with the way this piece turned out.

It’s such a joy to paint birds. The crows and swallows that I paint are so social. I recently found my first Bird moment in an old sketchbook from when I was 19. I clipped out an image of seagulls, and wrote a quote beside it: “We are all angels of but one wing, only by embracing each other can we fly” ~ Luciano de Crescenzo