About the Altamira Oriole Drawing
I first encountered Altamira Orioles at Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge in South Texas during the late 1980s. Their brilliant orange-and-black plumage was unlike that of any bird I had seen in the United States, and the intensity of the color made an immediate impression on me. I have seen them several times since, but that first encounter remains especially memorable.
Altamira Orioles (Icterus gularis) are tropical birds whose range extends northward into the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas. They inhabit open woodlands and wooded areas near water, where they forage among the foliage for insects, fruit, and nectar. Their remarkable woven nests hang from the ends of high branches and may extend more than two feet below the point of attachment.
In Santa Ana Flame, I portrayed two birds among arching leaves and branches, using colored pencil to recreate the almost luminous orange that first drew my attention to the species. The upper bird leans forward with a caterpillar in its bill while the second watches from below, giving the composition a sense of interaction and movement. The graphite branches provide a quieter framework that allows the orange, black, white, and green to dominate the drawing.
The title refers both to Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, where I first saw the species, and to the flame-like brilliance of the birds’ plumage.
Santa Ana Flame is a colored pencil wildlife drawing of Altamira Orioles (Icterus gularis) by Michael E. Dorcas for Tantilla Art.