Rose Tanner’s oil paintings are wholly dedicated to birds and bird lovers. “My work is about those moments in nature that show the story, emotion or character of a bird,” she writes on her website. “Watching birds in the wild has taught me absolute respect for the diversity on this planet.”
Through her oil paintings, she shares her passion for birds and for nature with others. An award-winning artist, Tanner uses traditional oil painting techniques, but she believes it’s her attention to their inner being that gives them their lifelike quality. With a love of the outdoors, she travels widely for her subjects, whom she studies carefully, and is active in supporting endangered birds and their habitat.
“Birds sing, dance, fight, court, breed and fly,” she writes. “They claim territory, pair for life, play the field and fool around. They hold funerals, have socials, eat fermented berries and perform mating rituals that leave us baffled. The subject matter is endless!”
With her work, she hopes to inspire other people to spend more time outdoors and find a reason to be in nature. “My goal is for the viewer to connect with the playful, human side of birds,” she further explained in a piece she wrote for Artsy Shark, “to see into their eyes and realize there is so much more than expected.”
Take a look at some of her life-like paintings:
