Feathers

Savanna Paine

Fine Arts

When you were small, did adults say: “don’t pick up that feather – it’s covered in germs”? So did Savanna Paine’s; but luckily for us, Savanna didn’t listen. As a child, she explained, “I would secretly put them in my pocket…and for the past ten-years I have kept every one that I've found.”

Relying on serendipity, adult Savanna doesn’t go out of her way to find as many feathers as possible; instead, she says: “I collect ones that I stumble upon.” Found on hikes around Southern California - Big Bear, Riverside, Crystal Cove, San Bernadino – at aviaries, and in the home she shares with a Senegal Parrot, she has gathered a vivid collection. 

It includes the metallic green feathers of the Nicobar Pigeon, a native of India which DNA analysis suggests is the closest living relative to the dodo. “The photo doesn't capture the full beauty and changing colors of the feather,” says Savanna. “It has a magic quality about it, amazing coming from a pigeon.” Another favorite is a red, white, and black patterned feather from the White-Face Whistling Duck, an African bird which, as the name suggests, whistles instead of quacking.

Savanna, who has almost completed her AA degree in Studio Arts at Cypress, pays particular attention to the feathers’ coloration and patterning. “I'm drawn to particular colors and soft patterns,” she explained. “Emerald greens and blues have a tranquil quality, whereas the bold colored, striped, and dotted feathers feature a confident and daring energy,” 

“My collecting choices reveal my connection with and respect for nature,” Savanna explained, and “my fascination with Native American stories of birds in this land and their spiritual significance.” One of her favorite tales from the Cheyenne tradition tells how hummingbirds helped humans gain dominance over the other animals and start the buffalo hunt. 

Paine is fascinated by hummingbirds, which typically have more than 900-feathers on their tiny bodies, a ratio of more per body size than any other bird species. Feathers are important to Native American culture because they serve as the symbol of the indigenous way of life. “A feather,” Savanna explains, “can be a symbol of many things in different tribes – trust, honor, strength, wisdom, power, and freedom.” 

Feathers, says Paine, “hold so much beauty…You hold a part of an animal's life that has come off with the growth of new feathers, and you are able to collect and preserve part of its past… On hikes I have found whole owls and hawks deceased, or just the wings, which is always saddening but is also part of nature…I will always try to capture the image of the bird if I can.”