Queens County Bird Club presentation - artist Michael DiGiorgio

The Queens County Bird Club is hosting a presentation on Wednesday, June 15, 2016, starting 8 pm, at the Alley Pond Environmental Center, located at 228-06 Northern Blvd., Douglaston, NY 11362. Artist Mike DiGiorgio will trace his personal journey, a quest to capture birds in line and color. Free admission. Light refreshments served. For more details, see www.qcbirdclub.org

Wildlife artist Mike DiGiorgio writes: “The profession of illustration is an extremely difficult one today. Add the element of primarily painting birds, and you come up with an almost impossible endeavor.” The modern-day bird illustrator has many obstacles to overcome, from publishers’ easy access to bird photography to shrinking magazine and book sales. In his presentation, DiGiorgio will trace his personal journey, beginning as a boy with a hopeless obsession with common city backyard birds, to later rural searches for warblers, herons, and nightjars — all in his quest to capture them in line and color. Louis Fuertes was his main artistic hero, and Don Eckelberry, who asked him to join his group of artists, his primary mentor.
Michael DiGiorgio is a nationally recognized artist who is currently living in Madison, CT. Mike’s painting and drawings have appeared in a variety of nature books and journals, such as such as: Breeding Bird Atlas of CT, Master’s Guide to Birding, Audubon Field Guide to Birds/ Eastern and Western region, Bird Watcher’s Digest, Sanctuary (Massachusetts Audubon Magazine), Audubon Magazine and Audubon Nature Yearbook. Mike is currently illustrating plates for a new guide to Brazil with Robert Ridgley and Guy Tudor.
To find out more about Mike, see his website www.mdigiorgio.com . If you are interested in purchasing one or more of his prints, please contact him in advance so that he may bring them to the meeting. Smaller note cards will also be available.