Alex Warnick and Antique Ornithology

Taking wing with creative talent, Alex Warnick, a natural history artist specializing in ornithology illustration, joins Design Pulse to share insights on her creative process. Warnick’s pieces will leave you in awe of her technical color work and inspired by the beauty of nature.

Fish Crow and Sea Grape

Watercolor and Gouache

KARDIA: Tell us about how you became interested in birds and nature illustration. 

ALEX WARNICK: In fifth grade I read a science book with a short paragraph on ornithology — the study of birds — and something in my brain snapped. I immediately became the “bird girl.” I would sit outside for hours wearing a feeder hat — a frisbee filled with birdseed glued to the top of a baseball cap. I even begged the fifth grade yearbook photographer to let me wear my binoculars in my school photo. Then I discovered an exhibition catalog of wildlife paintings my dad brought home from a used bookstore, and my passion for birds in art began. 

K: Have you always known that you had a calling as an artist? Was there a defining moment that affirmed your creative path? 

AW: As far as my memories go I can remember loving art. By the time I was in kindergarten I already identified with wanting to be an artist. I have lots of artists on both sides of my extended family, so maybe art runs in my blood! 

K: What do you think is the greatest duty of an artist? 

AW: That’s a great question. I think art is like swimming. There is no single reason to jump in the water. You may swim to exercise, to cool down on a hot day, to have fun with friends, or to compete in the Olympics. I think an artist’s greatest duty is to identify what motivates them to make art in the first place and then develop that motivation to its fullest potential — whether that's commenting on societal norms, creating an accurate technical illustration, or focusing on the fun of the process. My sister and I are both artists, and whenever we see someone who is unabashedly creating exactly what they want to create, we say “They’re going for it.” It’s the best compliment we can give. Artists who “go for it” seem to be the ones society rewards the most, no matter what kind of art they’re creating. 

Mourning Dove and Magnolia

Watercolor and Gouache

K: What is your studio routine like when you plan a new piece? Do you work from sketches, references or memory? 

AW: I always begin the process with a brainstorming session that includes lots of tiny sketches. These initial ideas come from my head based on memories of my experiences in the field. After I’ve pinned down a final rough design for a painting, I will search for references in my sketchbooks and photo collection that will help bring the sketch to life. Half of my career is spent in the studio painting, and half is spent outside observing, sketching, and photographing birds. It’s the perfect mix of everything I love. 

K: Your watercolor illustrations are so beautiful, what do you focus on in creating a piece? Composition? Color work? 

AW: Thank you! My focus changes with each piece. Sometimes a combination of colors inspires me to paint the birds and plants that would allow me to use those colors. Sometimes I sit down and create twenty sketches that play with value, and then I choose one to explore more fully. At other times I’m inspired by the decorative composition in Asian prints, and I’ll experiment with the same style of composition in my own work. The common themes are explore and experiment. Almost all of my work starts with some kind of experiment. 

Artist Alex Warnick taking field notes.

K: What is the most fulfilling part about your artist community? How do you see the world of art developing and growing in the near future? 

AW: One of the most fulfilling aspects of being an artist is connecting with like-minded people, whether that’s discovering other individuals who share my passion for birds or other artists who share an entrepreneurial spirit. There has never been a better time to be an artist. Artists now have the ability to be self-sufficient and no longer need to depend on a third party such as a gallery or agent to connect them with potential patrons. Artists can make direct contact with the audience that best suits them. There is no niche too small because an artist can locate and make contact with their specific niche audience from anywhere in the world. You can literally make an entire career out of painting birds and nothing else! 

K: Who are some creative influences and mentors you’ve had that have shaped your development as an artist? 

AW: I’m most inspired by the work of historical natural history artists like John James Audubon, Maria Sibylla Merian, Mark Catesby, and Alexander Wilson. Not only because we share a subject matter, but because their careers combined both scientific field study and painting in the studio. That’s the life I dreamed of having since I was a kid. Artists living the same life today continue to inspire me, and I've had a few reach out to lend me advice and encouragement along the way. 

Roseate Spoonbill

Watercolor on Paper

K: What is your advice for artists experiencing resistance with their creative process — even artists block? Do you have any tips when feeling stuck? 

AW: When I first began painting birds professionally I experienced artist’s block all the time. Now I never do. I’ve discovered the best way to counteract a creative block is to always have a deadline associated with my work. Nothing fosters artistic inspiration like being forced to be inspired! As a freelance artist, deadlines are sometimes named for me by a client, and at other times I have a chunk of time in the year to use on my own. If it’s my own time, I always create a self-guided project that has a deadline attached. I’ll contact a gallery or an organization that I can collaborate with for a show or a workshop, we’ll set a date, and then I’ll get to work. 

K: Do you see yourself experimenting in the future with a different subject matter or other materials? 

AW: I can definitely see myself experimenting with other mediums and materials in my work, but I could easily paint birds for the rest of my life. Birds are colorful enough, intricate enough, and varied enough to provide endless inspiration. Not to mention they live in an endless variety of habitats that I can include in my paintings. My personality tends more towards a micro-focus than a macro-focus. Rather than exploring more things, I like to explore one thing more. 

Tricolored Heron

Watercolor on paper

K: Outside of the studio and creative work, what sparks inspiration for you? 

AW: During my final semester of college, a professor advised me, “If you take what you know and combine it with what you love, you will be a success”. That advice inspired me to combine my two passions — birding and art — in order to create my ideal career. Birding is what sparks inspiration for me. I knew if I could take that inspiration and use it to fuel my art then I would have the drive necessary to propel an art career. That would be the greatest piece of advice I could give any prospective artist: Combine what you know and what you love. 

K: What are some ways that your community can best support you and your artwork? 

AW: Interacting with what I create is the best support I can have as an artist. I’ve had many discouraging days that were turned around when someone contacted me to let me know how much they enjoyed a painting I created or how it reminded them of some experience they had. As an artist, we spend years learning to get our art to say what we want it to say. When someone says they heard it, that makes it all worth it! 

To see more of Alex’s work, visit her portfolio.