Fionna Bottema

Fionna ia a Dutch artist who lives in an old farmhouse with a huge garden, that is as animal friendly as possible to attract all kinds of wildlife. They are the inspiration for her work, from the barn owls in the shed, to the rookery in the small forrest, the song birds that come steal sunflower seeds from the chickens, the hedgehogs at night and the newts in the ponds. She has an art degree in nature illustration and she always starts out with some simple sketches of the bird she is going to make. She uses recycled wood and collects driftwood at every beach she goes and often has to check in an extra suitcase to bring home the best pieces. Her goal is not to make a realistic copy of a bird but to catch their characteristics and their behavior in a very basic way, like in old decoy ducks and Inuit carvings.
After using a jigsaw for the rough first cut out she does everything else by hand. Sitting outside sanding a piece of wood and listening to a blackbird or watch a squirrel collect walnuts is an absolute joy.

Minerva Art Academy, Groningen