A Circus of Puffins

acrylic/mixed medium on board, 24" x 24"

$14,000

 Puffins are charismatic seabirds known for their colorful beaks and quirky appearance, often nicknamed "clowns of the sea". They are skilled divers and swimmers, spending most of their lives at sea, and are also known for their unique breeding habits and long-term pair bonds. In 1973 a group called The Puffin Project successfully transplanted a group of young Puffins to a group of islands off the coast of Maine. Islands where they had been killed off by hunters for their feathers in the 1800’s. The birds breed and raise their young on those coastal islands and then spend the rest of the year at sea. No one knows exactly where. Given their “clowns” nickname it is not surprising that a group of Puffins are called “A Circus” and since we don’t know where they go when out to sea and out of sight, I have imagined them dressed up and performing for their own amusement.