You may be wondering why my business is called "Bowerbird Handmade." Bowerbirds are a species of bird indigenous to Australia and New Guinea. While in college, I studied abroad in Queensland, Australia for a semester and discovered some bowerbird nests during a field trip to the rainforest. I immediately fell in love with these birds and identified with them on several levels. Male bowerbirds are known for making elaborate nests to attract females. They especially are drawn to all things pretty, shiny, colorful, or that might have interesting shapes and textures. They use a combination of natural objects (flowers, seeds, nuts, sticks) as well as man-made objects (anything from paperclips to candy wrappers) to construct their bowers for potential mates. They are recyclers, avid collectors of small beautiful things, and creators with an impeccable sense of aesthetics.
I have a lot in common with these birds. In my art studio I have jars upon jars of buttons, sequins, marbles, sea glass, pottery shards and other findings all arranged and carefully sorted, at the ready to build my own eye-catching pieces of art. We all use color, shape, and texture to adorn ourselves and our dwelling spaces in hopes of enhancing our appearance, standing out, making a statement, or catching someone's eye. Like the bowerbird I just can't seem to stop arranging, building, and decorating my nest with happy little treasures.
Here are some interesting articles and videos about bowerbirds:
