I first met Mike DiGiorgio 15 years ago in Connecticut. He was the first of Julie's friends to whom I was introduced. But any nervousness that I felt as Julie's new boyfriend vanished when I met Mikey. I knew he and Zick had played in a band together (called The Cuckoos) so we started off talking music, then moved on (much later) to talking about birds and art. We've been pals ever since.
Mike is a top-notch bluegrass banjo player and has played in a number of professional, gig-playing bands over the years. It's no surprise that someone with the manual dexterity to play the banjo (vastly harder than playing guitar or piano) is also a talented artist.
He is currently painting plates for a series of regional field guides to Brazil, as well as an upcoming field guide to Central America with Robert Ridgely and Guy Tudor. He's recently completed a series of 20 bird portrait paintings for future publication in a coffee-table book entitled Beautiful Birds of the Americas that will be published in Brazil. The red-crowned parrots, ivory-billed woodpecker, and resplendent quetzal below are from that project.
Mike has created numerous cover paintings for Bird Watcher's Digest, including the upcoming Jan/Feb 2007 issue, featuring a yellow-bellied sapsucker. Among the other species he's painted for BWD are: tufted titmouse (with a hidden long-eared owl), Atlantic puffins (below), great horned owl, and Blackburnian warbler.
In October 2004, Mike won the first ever Eckelberry Endowment Award from the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia in recognition of his bird illustration work. This award is given in memory of the great American bird artist Don Eckelberry.
Of all the people I've met in this world, Mike DiGiorgio stands at the front of the line as one of the nicest, most genuine, and most interesting humans on the planet. Even better, he tells great (and sometimes saucy) jokes. Plus, he JAMS on the banjo. And just LOOK at these paintings.
For more information about Mike DiGiorgio, visit his website.
The Fog is Rising--Atlantic Puffins.
Thick-billed parrots from the forthcoming book Beautiful Birds of the Americas.
December Doves--Mourning Doves.
Ivory-billed Woodpecker, from the forthcoming book Beautiful Birds of the Americas.
Resplendent quetzal from the forthcoming book Beautiful Birds of the Americas.
6 comments:
The talent you get to hang with is truly amazing.
It isn't enough that you married a supremely talented lady, you have to be greedy and have all those other people in your circle.
Some people!
At least you are perceptive enough to realize what you have there.
Such beautiful paintings, great musician and a hunkatollah too. Not fair.
I am a proud owner of Mike's Blackburnian warbler print, and I have to agree with Bill about MD's outstanding artistry.
I have that Quetzal in my office at work. I love it. I really dig his stuff.
I am the creator of Ivory-bill Researchers Forum www.ibwo.net -
Mike was gracious enough to allow me to use his magnificent painting as the centrepiece for the front page. I knew when I saw his painting that I would just have to ask him for permission to use it. Ivory-bills in my opinon are often painted with less than expertise. This is by far my favorite Digorgio painting although the scarlet tanager does come in a fairly close second! Take a look for yourself and see how amazing it wonderfully it compliments the site!
Amazing painting and you are such a great artist. Thanks for sharing such a beautiful pictures.
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