Purple Martins and Purple Martin House

 

 

 

Purple Martins, 9.25" x 12.5", linocut by Ele Willoughby 2021

Inspired by some commissions I have been making a series of prints, while working on longer term projects lately. Here's one about purple martins!

The male birds are a glossy blue-black and the female birds are brown with a blue patch on their heads. They are acrobatic birds, and the largest North American birds in the swallow family. They are are considered synanthropic; they have developped a relationship with humans after living near people for centuries. In Eastern North America nest almost exclusively in birdhouses, like the one shown. They are dependant on human-provided nesting sites. Their relationship with people predates colonial times; Indigenous peoples, including Cherokee, Chickasaw and Choctaw people, hung gourds to attrack the insectivorous nesting purple martins, who in turn controlled insect populations. In western North America, they still nest in holes made by woodpecks and other natural cavities. The roost together in huge numbers in late summer. These linocuts are printed by hand on Japanese kozo, or mulberry, washi paper. The male is in blue and black, the female in shades of brown with blue on the head and the house is in purple. Each sheet is 12.5" tall by 9.25" wide (31.7 cm by 23.5 cm).