White-winged Crossbills

Dimensions: 39.5 x 27.5 in

Materials: Soft Pastel on Pastelmat

Price: $1,750.00

Unframed

Original available here

In the fall of 2023, I worked at the Creamer’s Field Migration Station in Fairbanks as a bird bander. This was my first time encountering many of the northern bird species, such as Common Redpoll, Bohemian Waxwing, and Spruce Grouse. I also specifically hoped to see White-winged Crossbills. I was not disappointed! In Denali National Park, I saw quite a few of these stunning birds, though they were often high in the trees and backlit against a cloudy sky. I never got any good photos of them, but the memory stuck quite vividly. The following year, I returned for another banding season, and of course made a couple of trips to Denali National Park. In late fall, I went there with a friend, not realizing it had snowed the night before! The landscape was breathtaking, and I was amazed to find that the mountains kept changing colors throughout the day as the snow melted. This drawing combines both of these experiences by placing the crossbills in a snowy landscape in Denali. (note the mountain in the background is not THE mountain, just a particularly beautiful one that I kept admiring).

White-winged crossbills flying in front of snowy landscape in Denali National Park