" HIGHBUSH CRANBERRIES - CARDINAL "
Robert Bateman

950 s/n Paper 9" x 13.5" $95
350 s/n Canvas Giclee 12" x 15" $475

 

"As a boy growing up in Ontario, a cardinal was a rare and special sighting. The cardinal is basically a southern
bird that doesn't migrate, but it's range began extending northward in the 20th century. Because it is such
a delightful addition to people's backyards with it's cheerful whistle and spectacular plumage in the male,
folks began feeding it, especially in the wintertime. The more people fed it, the more cardinals survived
the winter and were encouraged to stay, and so a symbiotic relationship developed between cardinals
and bird lovers. However, even though the range has extended well beyond my boyhood haunts, the
cardinal has not made it over the Rockies to the West Coast where I am now living. I do miss it and
look forward to my visits back East.

The highbush cranberry has a wide range, found growing across North America from B.C. to Newfoundland
and into the northern United States. Birds feed upon it, but since I see the berries festooning the bushes
well into winter, I've concluded that they must not be a number one favorite, but perhaps more of a
last resort after the berries have softened from freezing and thawing.

Artistically, I thought it would be a study in harmony to place the berries, with their lyrical branches,
almost competing with the brilliance of the cardinal."
Robert Bateman

  

Highbush Cranberries and Cardinal - Robert Bateman

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