This 72" x 96" acrylic on board, "The Avian Art of Eating Upwards," was commissioned by a New York patron for the kitchen ceiling of her Ft. Lauderdale condominium. The idea for the piece came to me one day on a walk on Douglas Island near Juneau, where I had just moved. I looked skyward and saw a great blue heron circling and realized, as it alighted in the tree above me, that this was the only bird I knew that Alaska and Florida shared. Hence the Miami Art deco motifs containing an aviary filled with Florida birds, such as the pelican, kingfisher, and white ibis.