Oil on Gesso Board 5 x 7
Grackles may not top most people's lists of “pretty” birds, with their piercing yellow eyes and reputation as common and unremarkable. But if you look closely, their feathers shimmer with iridescent purples and blues, revealing a beauty often overlooked. Their gaze, which some mistake for vacant, hides a sharp intelligence.
A few years ago, I trained a group of them to visit my deck, where they would patiently wait for a peanut. Though often seen as aggressive, grackles—like all birds—can be pushy when food is scarce. But when they trust their food source, they become surprisingly polite, waiting their turn.
I found the model for this painting at my local zoo, not inside an enclosure but outside, foraging in the grass. Sometimes, the most interesting sights at a zoo aren’t behind the glass but right at your feet.