Leaf Fall II (Red-breasted Nuthatch)

What?! A Red-breasted Nuthatch not in a conifer tree? One of the joys of being an artist is that you get to arrange the world of the paintings the way you want. Red-breasted Nuthatches are associated with conifer forests wherever they are found. Painting one in a conifer like everyone else would be a cliché and I usually rebel against that. So my birds are in a beautiful fall maple.

I like nuthatches; they are curious, active, and vocal, clambering around on tree trunks upside down, just plain cute. Their name is also distinctive, which I also like. But why nuthatch? I have found two references suggesting the name originated from the way they open nuts by jamming them into bark crevasses and pounding them with their bills. This does not sound like how I would like to be “hatched”.

The original has been sold, but this image is available as a Limited Edition Print. See below for more information.

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