Ornithology c. 1980

Stella Waitzkin made this sculpture, Ornithology, from resin, paint, and glass at some point in her lifetime. There’s a real tactile quality to her work, like she's building up the layers of paint and resin, letting the process really dictate the finished work. I’m particularly drawn to the way the birds are perched on top of those stacked books. The textures are so interesting—the smooth, almost ghostly birds against the rough, worn pages. And that color palette! Those muted blues, greens, and grays give the whole thing a kind of melancholic, dreamlike feel. See how the paint is thin and transparent in some spots, thick and opaque in others? It’s like she's inviting us to trace her steps, to see how she built up this little world. Waitzkin was a contemporary of Louise Bourgeois. Both artists channelled their personal experiences into evocative sculptural forms, with a common interest in surrealism. With this piece, Waitzkin is creating a space where the real and the imagined blur together.