Julie Zickefoose: Nature Artist & Writer
Julie's Portfolio
Most of my work depicts birds. But a close look reveals that there's a lot more than birds in these paintings. There are botanical drawings, landscapes, even cityscapes. The birds are accurate, and are always depicted in appropriate habitat and vegetation. Accuracy is Job One; strong composition and handling of light follow close behind.
Please note: the galleries on this web site open within a popup window. In order to view them as intended, please add www.juliezickefoose.com to your popup blocker's 'Allow' list.
Bird Art Galleries
My first painting depicted a bird, and so, probably, will my last. I sparked on birds when I found a blue-winged warbler bathing in the woods behind my house, and followed the sound of fluttering to the most beautiful creature I'd ever seen. I was eight years old. Here is a selection of paintings, in loose taxonomic order. Some were done for books, others for magazines or private commissions, and some simply because they needed to be painted. Many were done with the living bird right in front of me.Click on the links below to open the galleries:
- Bird Drawings
- Waterbirds
- Raptors
- Woodpeckers
- Hummingbirds
- Thrushes, Thrashers, Wrens
- Sparrows and Relatives
- Flycatchers, Warblers, Kinglets
- Miscellaneous Birds
Mammal Gallery
Some people assume that an artist who specializes in one class (in my, case, Aves) can't paint anything else. But the neat thing about knowing how to draw is that you can draw whatever you choose to focus on, be it bird, bison, or bagel. Most of these were done from life; it helps to have the creature in front of you, especially when there are so many anatomical differences between species. And I will admit that painting hair and fur takes some getting used to when you're accustomed to feathers. Open the gallery >>Reptile and Amphibian Gallery
Box turtles are a special love of mine; I work with other conservationists to educate people on this rapidly disappearing and much-maligned animal. I raise captive-bred hatchlings for release and treat ill or injured turtles, too. They're intelligent, wise beings, so much more so than people might imagine. If you could live 130 years, you'd probably be pretty wise, too. Open the gallery >>Insect Gallery
In another life, I'd love to be an entomologist. Insects are cool, and like any living thing, they react and behave and make choices. We don't give them credit for having consciousness because we rarely take the time to watch them. But they do. Watch a katydid clean its feet like a cat; watch a butterfly choose the freshest blossom-just watch. I love painting insects. Their anatomy is mysterious, and pretty specific, though, and you have to be careful not to add an extra joint or segment, or you might have created a new species in your sketchbook. Open the gallery >>Plant Gallery
It would be hard to be a good bird painter without also being a good plant painter. I gather fresh specimens whenever I can. Everything here was painted from life. Painting plants is so relaxing compared to painting birds, insects, or animals. As long as you're aware of the plant's basic structure, you can add a stem, leaf, bud or flower wherever you want, and best of all, it won't change its position without warning. Open the gallery >>
