The trumpeter swan is the largest of North American waterfowl. It combines the well-known noble qualities of the swan family, such as grace and loyalty, with a sense of the true North American wilderness.
I would like to quote the first major art book I read as a boy, Birds of America, published in 1940 and given to me by my mother on my twelfth birthday.
"The trumpeter swan represents a vanishing race. In most parts of North America it is a bird of the past. Formerly, it ranged over a greater portion of the continent. Today it is rather rarely seen in wilder regions of the interior."
Little did I know that almost half a century later I would be publishing an original print and writing words of good news and encouragement.
With all of the doom and gloom we hear about the state of the natural world, it is reassuring to know that birds like the trumpeter swan did not become extinct and are, in fact, making a comeback. It is not, however, a foregone conclusion. Care and attention are needed and, of course, time and money. We do have hopes of seeing this great white bird as a thrilling yet common sight to most North Americans. In this original print, I wanted to show the full family, the male and female which, of course, mate for life, and the cygnets.
Unlike the tundra swan, the trumpeter swan is a bird of the woodlands, so I have shown the trees of the far shore reflected in the water. I hope that this original print will help not only future generations of the swans, but future generations of human beings, who will be able to enjoy this truly great symbol of the wilderness.