Description
Castonguay was combing through the illustrated book by Reader’s Digest called “Birds: Their Life, Their Ways, Their World” (1979) when he stumbled upon the image of a European Nightjar carrying its baby from danger. Included was an excerpt from an Audubon journal. The famous naturalist writes secondhand accounts of the Nightjar flying nestlings away from predators.
Inspired by the story, Castonguay placed a mother Nightjar in the void of space. Her babies hang on for dear life, and several are on the brink of letting go. The Phoenix and Crane, among other constellations, are hidden in the stars. The image uses two rich colors – warm gray overprinted with an ultramarine-infused black.
