Plate 10: From the Portfolio "Folk Art of Rural Pennsylvania" c. 1939

This print, Plate 10 from the Portfolio "Folk Art of Rural Pennsylvania," features three colorful birds, probably made with stencils. I imagine the artist carefully laying down each layer of color—red, green, tan—to bring these charming creatures to life. There’s a lovely naive quality here. The birds are stylized, their forms simplified, almost geometric. I wonder if the artist had any formal training? Maybe they were simply inspired by the birds they saw around them and wanted to capture their beauty in their own unique way. I'm drawn to the middle bird with its fancy tail. The artist repeated the parallel lines with such precision. It's like they were building something, not just painting a picture. This reminds me of the bold, graphic sensibility of artists like Charley Harper, who also found inspiration in the natural world. We’re all just riffing off each other, adding our own little twist to the conversation.