Artist's Statement
"Chickens, birds, and other fowl are a part of our every day landscape. Sure there are bird lovers and bird watchers, chicken owners and falconers who spend their lives intertwined with birds, but for most of us they are simply a choice on a menu or a common sight while we go about our lives.
I have spent the last year and a half being fascinated, intrigued and seduced by the appearances and actions, personalities and physical quirks of birds. I have looked into their eyes, through photographs, and pretended to have intimate conversations with each of them. Exploring my interpretations of their personalities and fears, I ask what makes them the same as me, and what sets them apart. I delve into my fantasy life through my art, conjure up their individual personalities, and create the portraits I see in my mind's eye. I have tried to give each bird grandeur and strength. I have attempted to equip them with battle armor and devices to protect themselves. I have incorporated within their images details of beauty, color of pageantry, and items that one would find on a battlefield. Man made mechanical parts help keep them together, as this world tries to rip them apart."
Gwendolyn R. Rodig
artist statement for "FOWL PLAY" solo exhibition NIU 2008
