{"id":9902,"title":"Stories Behind the Designs","description":"The journey from drawing to garment.","content":"

Birds Can Fly uses art, illustration and design to educate and inspire bird lovers and promote creativity, kindness and acceptance, encouraging an inclusive community of ornithologists and naturalists.\u00a0<\/em><\/h3>

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Above: The Violet Backed Starling drawing, 'gentle reference' and 'V is for Violet Backed Starling Jumper.<\/a><\/em><\/p>

In the spring of 2020 I asked my social media followers if I could draw them a bird everyday, to punctuate their news feeds, I wanted to offer an alternative to the unending doom of the pandemic. As the project grew I created an on-line print shop to satisfy the demand for my illustrations. To promote this venture, I started \u2018gently referencing\u2019 the birds I\u2019d drawn in a series of photo shoots that paid homage to the plumage and personality of the birds I\u2019d drawn. The slightly absurd and strangely beautiful \u2018gentle references\u2019 brought some light relief to thousands and celebrated the comfort and solace that nature brought us during the challenges of a global pandemic.\"\"\"\"<\/a>
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Above: The Peregrine Falcon drawing, 'gentle reference', and the Enthusiastic Ornithologist Jumper<\/a> modelled by Paul Harfleet.<\/em><\/p>

As my social media presence grew I asked my followers if they\u2019d like some T-shirts, a search for an eco-friendly print on demand solution began. Rapanui\u2019s sister brand Teemill was the solution as they supply many brands that commit to responsibly sourced materials, from the BBC, RSPB and to naturalist and presenter Chris Packham. Teemill has excellent environmentally friendly credentials and was therefore a natural fit with Birds Can Fly, that intends to promote bird protection and conservation.\u00a0\"\"\"\"\"\"<\/a>
Above Paul Harfleet models the Jay Feather Jumper<\/a>, the original drawing and the Jay Feather Jumper.<\/a><\/em><\/p>

The collection of garments investigates some of the stories I\u2019ve heard over the last few months, from the touching story of loss and memory with the Jay Feather<\/a><\/strong> design:<\/p>

\"My father passed away at the end of April 2020. He was buried with a Jay feather I found when I was eight, I can still remember the thrill of seeing it on the woodland floor. I kept it all these years as a reminder of the wonderful country village we moved from when I was 9, I am in my mid 50s now. Dad loved wildlife and birds, it felt nice to leave the Jay feather with him.\u201d<\/em><\/p>

I was so moved by this story that I awoke the next morning with a need to draw a jay feather and place it on the breast of a shirt. A gentle tribute to a story that celebrates love and the way nature grows around our lives, from the presence of a robin to the discovery of a feather on a forest floor.<\/p>

The mournful to the delightful story from one of my followers of childhood delight in nature with the charming Beep Beep<\/a> <\/strong>design:<\/p>

\u201cAnna\u2019s Hummingbirds are common here in Southern California, and my 5 year old son Eli has named one that visits our garden \u201cBeep Beep\u201d, it would be really special to our family if you could include an Anna\u2019s Hummingbird in your bird collection\u201d.<\/em><\/p>

Once complete I sent a digital thank you card to Eli with Anna\u2019s Hummingbird renamed \u201cBeep Beep\u201d on it. I wanted to celebrate the story and our international connection by placing the bird against this charming childhood term of endearment.<\/p>

The Enthusiastic Ornithologist<\/a><\/strong> design (above) proclaims the wearer as someone who is just as fascinated by birds as I am:<\/p>

\"One of things I noticed in my visits to nature reserves in #Lockdown was how wandering birders often discuss their sightings; a pair of binoculars around the neck, a symbol for \u2018I\u2019m a birder\u2019. This instant sense of community is just one thing I adore about bird-watching. I wanted to expand this short-hand to casual wear by creating this design that lets people know that the wearer is an \u2018Enthusiastic Ornithologist\u2019. I love the idea that conversations may be sparked by this design, helping to create wider communities of bird lovers, passionate about the natural world.\"<\/em><\/p>

And the Bird Lover<\/a><\/strong> series (below) uses a simple graphic to enhance some of my favourite illustrations:<\/p>

\"During Lockdown I shared my bird illustrations and their \u2018gentle references\u2019 on social media, I would always begin my posts with \u2018Hello Bird Lovers\u2019, when I was thinking about what designs to create for Birds Can Fly, this was a simple elegant choice.\"<\/em><\/p>

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Above: Waxwing drawing and 'gentle reference', Bird Lover Jumper<\/a> <\/a>and Paul Harfleet modelling it.<\/em><\/p>

My mission with Birds Can Fly is to continue to adorn responsibly sourced, ecologically sound clothing and accessories with beautiful, thoughtful designs, that share stories about the birds we love and reveal the power of ornithology to impact our lives and enhance our mental well-being.<\/p>

More About Paul Harfleet<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>

Paul Harfleet is a London based artist, writer, designer and founder of The Pansy Project<\/a>, he plants pansies at sites of homophobia and has planted pansies around the world in over 300 locations from the Eiffel Tower to the White House. What began as an autobiographical response to homophobia has become an internationally recognised street art project. Watch a recent interview with Paul about The Pansy Project here.<\/a><\/p>

As Lockdown emerged in March 2020 Paul faced the cancellation of most of his projects, and was forced to rethink his work life. He chose to draw his way out of it, he\u2019s always loved birds, as he revealed in his first book Pansy Boy<\/a>, published by Barbican Press in 2017. Pansy Boy is a picture book that tells the story of a young boy who \u201cmarvels at all things in flight\u201d as his summer break ends he dreads the return of school where he faces his bullies, told through rhyming couplets and beautiful illustrations the book celebrates horticulture and ornithology and the triumph over adversity through gentle protest. Read an interview with Martin Goodman from Barbican Press, about how Birds Can Fly and Pansy Boy intersect here.<\/a><\/p>

The first 59 Birds... The Birds Can Fly collection continues to grow.<\/p>