Bluebirds and Competitions

One of the things I do to continue growing and challenging myself as an artist is to enter images into competitions to receive feedback and critique.

For the last three years, I’ve entered a competition with one of my favorite backdrop companies, Obsidian Studios. I was a finalist the last two years and wanted to enter and compete for one last year this year.

I knew this year that I would want my image to be a part of my Disappearing Earth series. From the beginning, I wanted this series to highlight little changes we can make to protect vulnerable species on our planet. I’ve never wanted it to be all doom and gloom—and this image represents hope for our future. Bluebirds are a success story. They are no longer a species of concern due to efforts in states like Virginia on the East Coast of the United States. Little details like the eggs in the nest that you can see in the glass ball, the pearls (which often symbolize purity), the circle imagery throughout the image (like her hair, The pearls, the ball, the nest, and the circle in the background) that represent unity and wholeness, and the peaceful look on the model’s face are all a part of this narrative, and I hope viewers feel peace and feel inspired to join conservation efforts as they view this image

L’oiseau Bleu, or The Bluebird