On Becoming a Bird Painter:

  “My first ten years were spent growing up in the small West Texas ranching town of Marfa, where I developed an interest in birds along the barrel of my BB gun. I would carry the unfortunate creatures to my best friend’s house where I would look them up in his mother’s Peterson field guide. I soon realized binoculars were probably better suited to my new interest.

    About this time, at age 10, my Mom, Dad and I moved to Harlingen in deep South Texas, not realizing yet that this is one of the great spots for birds in all of North America. Many tropical species reach their northern limit along the lower Rio Grande, and this area is also the convergence zone for the Eastern and Central Migratory Flyways.

    An important event in the formation of my career occurred in the 7^th grade library, bird section, of course, when another devotee introduced himself, “Hello, I’m Thomas Mugglestone, I’m an ornithologist, you know!” He in turn introduced me to Robert Askins, who was the real ”expert”. He now teaches at Connecticut College and his book Restoring North America’s Birds is an instant classic, a difficult feat and high achievement in the bird book world. Askins, besides mentoring me, introduced me to L. Irby Davis, a recognized expert on Neotropical birds. A few years later we would  collaborate on his book Field Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Central America. I became the first bird painter, at age 19-21, to illustrate all these wonderful tropical species in color. This book, some 35 years later, still opens doors for me.

   An important mentor of early years was a farmer from nearby San Benito, a local bird expert that always seemed to find the rare birds. Ned Hudson taught me a lot about birds and many a Christmas bird count was enjoyably shared with Ned and his wonderfully dry sense of humor.

   The important painting mentor during early years, my early 20’s, was a fellow bird painter named Jon Janosik, who in one incredible afternoon took me from the darkness to the light and showed me what being a bird painter was all about. He taught me about the Passion. It was without doubt, the most important afternoon in my entire career.

     A few years later I began to realize that I had been overtaken by the Passion that Jon had spoken of. It is the realization that what you have undertaken is now a part of your Soul, your Heart, your Being. Looking back, I see now that it is the connection to God, the hooking up of the Pipeline and the opening up of the Flow. It has never lessened over the years. There is always the desire to paint more, to paint better to keep me going.”