Title: Prairie Preserve
of Oklahoma Species:
Cliff Swallows (Hirundo pyrrhonota)
Artist: Jay
J. Johnson(for
further information, click on the artist's name)
Image size: 9" X 12"
Media: oil
Date: 2004
Private collection
The Nature Conservancy's 39,000-acre
Tallgrass Prairie Preserve is the largest remnant of tallgrass
prairie in North America. It is managed with the aid of
controlled fires and a herd of 3,000 bison, and it provides
habitat for innumerable species, including the Cliff Swallows depicted in this painting.
Jay Johnson noted: "As an artist I see the beauty of
birds not only in their color and shape, but also in their
extraordinary adaptations for flight . Through the use of
brush-strokes I strive to capture their aerial motion. This
painting was completed in 2004 for an exhibition titled
American Art in Miniature at the Gilcrease Museum
in Tulsa, OK."
