Few bird species are as iconic as the Northern Cardinal. Our love-affair with the Cardinal has a long history and has been used to help advance the goals of conservation. In 1903 Gene Stratton Porter published The Song of the Cardinal. Her plucky hero and heroine were a pair of newly mated birds keeping house at the edge of human habitat. In the book, an old farmer and his wife (Abram and Maria) become their admirers and protectors. Here I’ve included a page from the book, a moment when Maria decides to heed the Cardinal’s call to Come See! Come See!

I feel deeply emotional about It Was a Temptation, as Stratton-Porter intended with Song of the Cardinal. The deeply humanized birds at the center of her novel evoked a strong emotional response from a wide readership. Do anthropomorphic animal characters support the cause of conservation or blur the lines between human and animal needs? I don’t have an answer, but I believe we can enlarge our circle of care beyond our own families and communities when we empathize with other people and creatures.

I illustrated this piece on transparent paper, which has a different feel under my pencils than the drafting film. And when combined with the digital image underneath, it reveals and hides shapes and colors in its own way. I like the more rustic results.

It Was a Temptation is available for purchase. Contact me for more information.