Josie Morway’s Bird Paintings are Out of this World

By
Alex K
-
Image via josiemorway/Instagram

Though wildlife portraits are rarely boring, artist Josie Morway knows how to make them extra exciting. Her paintings often have birds in them, along with interweaving plants.

Morway explained her style saying: “I don’t mean for them to be read too literally, but rather hope they lend a certain feeling of portentousness to the pieces. I like referencing religious icon paintings and other forms of ‘serious’ historic painting, but using animals and birds in the place of saints, etc. I’m going for the feeling of narrative realism, but working with a narrative that’s mysterious, missing some information, open to the viewer’s interpretation.”

You can see her amazing paintings below.

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Tonight! Opening reception for Unnatural Histories VI is happening from 6-9 at @antlerpdx in Portland! This annual show always has an amazing line up, and also has a written component… each artist composes some words to go along with their piece. Because I'm embarrassed about my weird, abstract written piece this year, I figured the best thing to do would be to post it here. Ahem. So here goes. . . • Symbiotes 3 :: Visitation. • So say you are on the move one day, because you are always on the move and you are thinking No no no, I am not covered in flowers and fronds, I don’t spit crushed petals and twigs from my mouth every time I open it, and I have not planted and the harvest is not my concern but then say your nature lands on a branch in front of you for a moment, and folds its wings and says You have no idea how deeply involved you are in all of this. You are spored with evidence, nurturing a thousand burgeoning buds, your vines are showing, your history blooms, grows out from under your every feather and well thank goodness for that, because without the fruit of your entanglements, what would you eat? You’ve been on the move but you’ve been gardening all this time and while roots are optional, there is nothing that truly lives on air alone. And say as you prepare to respond you cough up a perfectly ripe fig, and a wasp ​flies away.

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What next? #growth #symbiosis #protection

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