Artwork copyright Elizabeth Sandvig. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Chinese Sparrow Singing in the Listening Bush, 1997

Elizabeth Sandvig
(American, born 1937, died 2024)

Location: Columbia Basin College, Pasco

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

Chinese Sparrow Singing in the Listening Bush is a monoprint by artist Elizabeth Sandvig. A monoprint is created by painting directly onto the printing plate, and only one print copy can be made from the plate. This artwork is part of a group of prints and paintings that depict birds and explore their song and movement. The artist seeks to show birdsong using visual images and different written languages. She notes, "Musicians have used bird sound in their music in a variety of ways. I hope to use the sounds in a visual way to suggest the complicated way we perceive another species."

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Columbia Basin College.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Seattle painter and printmaker Elizabeth Sandvig (1937-2024) created expressive artworks inspired by dreams and imagination. In her own words "I am always looking for some mysterious in-between place where ideas and images come together to show me a new exciting path to follow."

Sandvig grew up in Seattle, Washington D.C., and Mexico City. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Pomona College in California and a Master of Arts degree from Harvard University in Massachusetts. In 2007, she received the Twining Humber Award for lifetime artistic achievement, and an autobiographical book about her work "I Surprise Myself, The Art of Elizabeth Sandvig" was published.