Seed Sowers Print

The Hawaiian crow, or 'Alala, is critically endangered and would have become extinct except for the efforts of a breeding program on the Big Island. I was invited to visit the facility as an artist to create work around this amazing bird. I show in this painting the entire life cycle of the 'Alala from its speckled blue eggs to blue-eyed chicks and adolescent birds, to the black-eyed fuzzy adults. They are one of 3 crow species that use tools, so I painted a stick that it uses to find insects. I included several endemic plant species that are the 'Alala's favorites including hoawa, olapa, and ohelo berry. The background of circles and squares represent the actual ancestors of the breeding program genealogy. Currently they have successfully introduced a number of birds back into the wild. You can follow their story on Facebook in "The Alala Project". This painting is a diptych, 2 24"x24" panels meant to be hung next to each other for a total size of 24" high and 48" across, although the individual pieces can be hung on their own. This painting is cradled and ready to hang, but not framed. It is sealed with a varnish.