Sketches from Life
In order to give my artwork a authentic and lifelike quality, I often go out and sketch nature from life. Working from the actual living bird not only teaches me about it's movements and gestures, but gives me a more immediate record of the actual experience of seeing them.
This small selection of sketches shows my work directly from life and studies of captive birds and bird specimens.
( All Paintings © Michael DiGiorgio
Use of images without permission is forbidden.)

Life sketch of a juvenile Herring Gull in Watch Hill, Rhode Island.

Life sketches of a winter Western Grebe from Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, California.

Life sketch of group of Common and Roseate Turns resting on a sandbar in Watch Hill, Rhode Island.

Life sketch of a preening Snowy Egret from Great Island Wildlife Refuge in Lyme, Connecticut.

A life sketch of a Snowy Egret in the early morning light from Jamaca Bay Wildlife Refuge, N.Y.

A life sketch of a nest full of juvenile Great-blue Herons in a wooded wetland, Hillsdale, N.Y.

A life sketch of a nesting Silky Flycatcher in Costa Rica.


Life sketch of a Resplendent Quetzal near it's nesting site in Costa Rica.

Life sketch of a Sun Bittern hunting in the Sarapiqui River, Costa Rica.

Oddly enough, I searched for this bird in Florida without luck. This study was from a rare out of range bird in Deep River, Connecticut!

Life sketch of a Violaceous Euphonia from a captive bird in Trinidad.

Life sketch of a captive Coco Thrush from Trinidad.

Life sketch of a captive Silver-beaked Tanager from Trinidad.

A fresh window killed Yellow-billed Cuckoo study.

Life painting from my backyard in Madison Connecticut. These Morning Dover were waiting for me to fill my feeders on a snowy afternoon.

Life sketch of a group of Common Mergansers on an ice float in the Connecticut River in Deep River.

In 2001, we had a larger invasion of Snowy Owls. This painting was done from life on a warm December day at Hammonasset State Park in Madison.