Trish Boyles Art

Throwback to “Current Storm” from 2023 for Pride Month. (8”x8” mixed media on cradled panel)
💜🩷❤️🧡💛💚💙 “we are powerful because we have survived” - audre lorde

Lately people have been asking me why I use birds so much in my art. I use a few different styles of birds in my work depending on what I’m trying to convey. While the vibe that they bring to a piece is highly dependent on the context (the palette, composition, and other elements of the artwork as a whole) generally speaking here’s why I use particular birds in my artwork:

Still birds or birds on a wire. Birds seem to be almost always moving (did you know birds can sleep while they are flying?) so when I use a stationary bird, usually on a wire, or perched on some other linear element of the artwork, I’m most often trying to convey a sense of calm, inviting the viewer to just take a moment, pause, and be still. If you are a meditator you may be familiar with the idea of “the watcher”, this is a meditation strategy where you simple become the watcher of yourself and observe what you are thinking/feeling etc. and there is definitely an element of watching i’m going for when i use this style of bird, and also a sense of watching over, i’m looking to create a sense of safety and protection in some cases as well with the still birds.

Flying Birds: Birds in flight are all about moving energy in a joyful, intentional way. These kinds of birds also represent the idea of community and presence - have you ever seen a flock of birds fly together - they all react together as one, there is no negotiating, no bickering about which direction to go, there is only going, together. In that sense I use these kinds of birds in my art to convey freedom, hope, and love as well.

This is all my interpretation and intention behind the use of birds in my art. You may look at the art and see and feel something totally different and that is absolutely right. For example, many people interpret my flying birds as fish, and to that I say, “Yes!” They are in fact modeled after swallows which, if you know your birds, swallows have a kind of fishy silhouette where wings seem like fins.

You can see my bird art online at Trishboyles.com (link in bio) or in person on my wall

Lately people have been asking me why I use birds so much in my art. I use a few different styles of birds in my work depending on what I’m trying to convey. While the vibe that they bring to a piece is highly dependent on the context (the palette, composition, and other elements of the artwork as a whole) generally speaking here’s why I use particular birds in my artwork:

Still birds or birds on a wire. Birds seem to be almost always moving (did you know birds can sleep while they are flying?) so when I use a stationary bird, usually on a wire, or perched on some other linear element of the artwork, I’m most often trying to convey a sense of calm, inviting the viewer to just take a moment, pause, and be still. If you are a meditator you may be familiar with the idea of “the watcher”, this is a meditation strategy where you simple become the watcher of yourself and observe what you are thinking/feeling etc. and there is definitely an element of watching i’m going for when i use this style of bird, and also a sense of watching over, i’m looking to create a sense of safety and protection in some cases as well with the still birds.

Flying Birds: Birds in flight are all about moving energy in a joyful, intentional way. These kinds of birds also represent the idea of community and presence - have you ever seen a flock of birds fly together - they all react together as one, there is no negotiating, no bickering about which direction to go, there is only going, together. In that sense I use these kinds of birds in my art to convey freedom, hope, and love as well.

This is all my interpretation and intention behind the use of birds in my art. You may look at the art and see and feel something totally different and that is absolutely right. For example, many people interpret my flying birds as fish, and to that I say, “Yes!” They are in fact modeled after swallows which, if you know your birds, swallows have a kind of fishy silhouette where wings seem like fins.

You can see my bird art online at Trishboyles.com (link in bio) or in person in my wall . 😊🦅🕊️🦜🦢🐤🪶🪽🐦‍⬛

Lately people have been asking me why I use birds so much in my art. I use a few different styles of birds in my work depending on what I’m trying to convey. While the vibe that they bring to a piece is highly dependent on the context (the palette, composition, and other elements of the artwork as a whole) generally speaking here’s why I use particular birds in my artwork:

Still birds or birds on a wire: Birds seem to be almost always moving (did you know birds can sleep while they are flying?) so when I use a stationary bird, usually on a wire, or perched on some other linear element of the artwork, I’m most often trying to convey a sense of calm, inviting the viewer to just take a moment, pause, and be still. If you are a meditator you may be familiar with the idea of “the watcher”, this is a meditation strategy where you simple become the watcher of yourself and observe what you are thinking/feeling etc. and there is definitely an element of watching i’m going for when i use this style of bird. But there is also a sense of watching over, and I’m looking to create a sense of safety and protection in some cases as well with the still birds.

Flying Birds: Birds in flight are all about moving energy in a joyful, intentional way. I also use these kinds of birds to represent the idea of community and presence - have you ever seen a flock of birds fly together - they all react together as one, there is no negotiating, no bickering about which direction to go, there is only going, together. In that sense I use these kinds of birds in my art to convey freedom, hope, and love as well.

This is all my interpretation and intention behind the use of birds in my art. You may look at the art and see and feel something totally different and that is absolutely right. For example, many people interpret my flying birds as fish, and to that I say, “Yes!” They are in fact modeled after swallows which, if you know your birds, swallows have a kind of fishy silhouette where wings seem like fins.

You can see my bird art online (link in bio) or in-person where I have a wall of art just waiting for you. 😊🐦‍⬛🪶🐤🦢🕊️🦜

Took the parents to the uptown today. They are both native Charlotteans (technically mom was born in Winston-Salem but moved here at 2 months old) and they have lived in Charlotte their entire lives. The were married in the church that is now the , worked uptown in the 1960s, (apparently before there were any trees on Tryon St ‼️), and have never been to the uptown museum (“The Mint” means Randolph Road to them).

Really cool to have their first trip there be to see my art. We enjoyed ‘Guilding the Mint’ with the room mostly to ourselves. It really is a lovely show - thank you !