Rachel Rothberg Painting

Artist Statement

réquiem aetérnam dóna éis

Lush foliage and berries surround a Song Sparrow in its death. These larger-than-life oil paintings of deceased birds examine both the tension and tenderness that exist within mortality. I want to bring viewers face-to-face with the interconnectivity of the world and stir empathy towards these delicate beings.

lacrimósa díes

A Pine Siskin is enveloped in flowers after knowing the jaws of the housecat that ended its life. The songbirds in this series were encountered by friends who brought the bodies to me. I craft an elegant bed of gathered flowers and foliage for each burial, reinvigorating the birds with new life.

lux perpétua lúceat éis

Lilies, daffodils, and Oregon Grape blossoms wreath a Dark-eyed Junco in brightness after its collision with a porch window. I want to bring reverence to these ordinary encounters with death. Their stories illuminate the larger patterns of bird disappearance at a global turning point for ecological conservation.

cum sánctis túis in aetérnum

A Red-breasted Nuthatch laid to rest becomes larger than life, almost confrontationally. Birds have captivated me since my earliest memories: their marvelous capacities and their fragility. These paintings resonate with my own experiences of loss and grief, and allow space for those emotions in others.

“I want to bring viewers face-to-face with the interconnectivity of the world and stir empathy towards these delicate beings.”