The house finch is an attractive little bird that has been spreading its range. It has even made it in fair numbers to eastern and western Canada.
It is like a purple finch but slightly brighter and more delicate. If the purple finch is like a sparrow dipped in burgundy, the house finch has been dipped in rose wine. Although it is found in many different habitats, I always think of it as a bird of the richer parts of the southwest arid country. Many times I have heard the lively warbling song of the house finch and located the proud little male, announcing his territory from the tip of the yucca spike. To me, the yucca is an exotic plant. That is, of course, because I have spent most of my life in the mixed deciduous forest zone.
I had two feelings or moods when doing this picture. One was related to the quality of the paintings of Georgia O'Keeffe and the other was the ambiance of early Hollywood. The work of Georgia O'Keeffe is dramatic and polished, often with modulated, clear blue skies. The Hollywood style of the twenties and thirties was Art Deco. It was also dramatic and polished almost to slickness. The movie theater I attended as a boy was in this style. Although it is not my favourite design type, it has a strong sense of nostalgia for me. That is the mood I was striving for in my setting for this house finch.