One of my father’s greatest loves was birds indigenous to his home. My father, Art Javes, lived the first 65 years of his life in Connecticut. His dream was to retire on the Gulf Coast of Florida. He ended up in St. Petersburg, a beautiful and peaceful part of the state. In both Connecticut and Florida, the Great Blue Heron could be found.

For his birthday present one year, my father requested a painting of the Heron. This painting was the first in a series of water birds I painted for him.

Majestic, serene, strong, the Heron lurks quietly, while searching out a meal. When my father quietly passed in a nursing home at the age of 90, within a minute or two of the vein’s final pulsing in his neck, I walked over to the window in that Florida facility. Standing directly below the window from the 2nd floor, was a Heron, looking up at me. I took it as a sign.