This magnificent work of art by the exquisitely talented
Susan Fletcher King left me speechless with awe! The name of the piece is "The Visitor", and the web image doesn't begin to do it justice. In reality, this incredible piece is 60 inches tall and 24 inches wide. It isn't simply a painting done with oils or watercolors, either (although that would be fantastic, too). "The Visitor" is an meticulously crafted, 3-dimensional piece of fabric art! According to the artist, the piece "was started as a whole cloth which has been dyed, painted and stamped. The great blue heron, boat, dock and weeds were then added as rough-edge appliqué. These pieces were also painted. The entire piece was then assembled and stitched (quilted)". How's that for creativity and talent?
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The piece was made specifically for an invitational, juried show with the theme "Exquisite Moment". This show is held annually, seen in various venues in the US and in Europe, and is curated under the name dinner at eight artists I have been selected as one of the artists and this is the third year that I have been invited to enter and have been accepted." Congratulations, Susan Fletcher King!
I cropped the image even closer to give you an idea of the incredibly detailed work in the piece. Check out the shading on the Great Blue Heron's neck, and the beautifully rendered wood grain of the boat. It's no wonder the piece was accepted for a art exhibition entitled 'Exquisite Moments! Ms. King's artist's statement for the piece makes "The Visitor" all the more magical:
Little miracles happen very occasionally, and if we are lucky we might be in the right place at the right time to witness one. Here, this great blue heron is stepping from his world into ours and gives us an exquisite moment we will always remember.
Some of my readers and some of my fellow "Birders Who Blog' might have a slight sense of
deja vu upon seeing Susan Fletcher King's "The Visitor". If it seems familiar, there is a good reason for it. The above photo was taken by my husband, Tom, while we were vacationing on Cape Cod last year - and it has appeared in an earlier post on this blog. Susan Fletcher King came across the image on the web, and kindly asked permission to use it as a model for her artwork. Believe it or not, Tom will be credited as the photographer whenever and wherever "The Visitor" is shown publicly. Congratulations to my better half!
If any other bird photographers out there would like to see their fine photos transformed into a fantastic work of art, you'll be happy to learn that Susan Fletcher King does commission work, and she loves working from photos. You can contact her directly at
susanfletcherking.com, and I can promise you'll be thrilled with the result. She is an extraordinary talent!
