Floy Zittin was born in 1948 in Houston, Texas and grew up in southern Ohio. She has been fascinated with both drawing and nature studies since childhood. Floy majored in biology in Carleton College, MN, and became interested in watercolor painting and Asian art during a summer program in Japan. Her Master’s thesis in marine biology from University of the Pacific required learning scientific illustration techniques and this led to a career as a biological illustrator. She has worked on several textbooks and spent ten years illustrating amphipods for the National Museum of Natural Sciences of Canada. After 10 years in British Columbia Floy and her husband, Dave, returned to California in 1983, where Floy became active in the art community of the Bay Area. She taught watercolor techniques for over twenty years and her paintings have won numerous awards in national shows. Floy and her husband are avid birders and lead birding walks for the Santa Clara County Audubon Society. They combine photographs and paintings on their blog
About
I love observing and painting birds. Their distinct personalities remind me of people I know, and their interactions mirror my own experiences. Finches, juncos, titmice and chickadees share the feeder like my extended family coming together for a good meal. Scrub jays squabble like a gang of artists. As a heron glides slowly overhead, I think of a friend who’s recently died. Birds remind me of cycles of life and of my place in the natural world. Each of my paintings begins with an observation. I make jottings in a field notebook which becomes my main resource as I develop a painting in my studio. While I like to depict a bird species as accurately as possible, I try to give their environment a loose, spontaneous feel. Two of the joys of painting are connecting with others by sharing bird stories, and hearing someone say, ‘I’ve seen that bird you painted!’ I hope my work will bring new appreciation for the amazing avian world around us.