The Art of Roxanne Gasperetti

I am a wildlife artist and avian parasitologist based between Grand Forks, ND and Stevens Point, WI. My research examines parasite diversity and community ecology in birds. As a self-taught artist, my work focuses on wildlife, particularly avian subjects, and is inspired by spending time outside as well as my background in science.

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I love your art so much!!

Ahhh thank you!! 💜

I'll hopefully be posting more once this semester ends!

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Black-capped Chickadee sketches

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New year, new art

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Sketchbook ink doodles 🌿🌲

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Decided to celebrate the spring migration by drawing my favorite warbler, the Blackburnian Warbler (Setophaga fusca) 🧡

"I have seen many birds of beauty, but not one of such dazzling plumage and bearing as the Blackburnian. The upper parts and wings are jet black, with various white markings, especially in the wings and tail, the underparts pure white, heavily streaked with black, and the throat, sides of neck, and head, and middle of the black crown, of deep, rich, fiery orange. I have never seen such a color, soft and beautifully offset by the black, yet apparently about to burst into flame, like a red hot coal. The Blackburnian is a prize for rarity alone, but doubly one for his gorgeous plumage." --Aldo Leopold

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Happy Winter Solstice! ❄️ Tonight is the longest night of the year, but from now on there are brighter days ahead. ☀️

I've featured one of my favorite animals in this piece, the caribou (or reindeer). Well-adapted to life in the arctic in both North America and Eurasia (there are several subspecies), I find that the caribou is a perfect example of perseverance, adaptation, and endurance. It is also the only species of deer in which both males and females grow antlers. Generally, males lose their antlers in the late fall, and females retain their antlers until the following spring.

I've also given a nod to tonight's conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in this piece.

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Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) in Eclipse Plumage

I’ve always felt like the eclipse plumage of waterfowl is underrated. They’re much more subtle of course, but still pretty in their own way.

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Happy fall! 🍂

Redbubble

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Going to try to post some things for Sketchtember this month! This is a sketch for a personal icon I’ve had in my head for a while.

I won’t be able to post every day, because I don’t want too much extra stress on top of going back to school right now (currently doing online classes only). In general, I thought I would be way more productive with art over this summer... but I’ve just become really exhausted with the state of the world right now, and I got pretty burned out from everything going on. Some sketching might be good to get my creativity going again.

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Hercules beetle (Dynastes hercules) for Noelle

Polychromos colored pencil. A personalized birthday present for my sister Noelle who loves bugs, Spain, and everything flamenco. I chose the Hercules beetle to draw at random, and the thought to add the Spain/flamenco elements came while I was working on the beetle, because I knew she would love the combination. It ended up coming together very well and I’m happy with it!

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Orchid Mantis (Hymenopus coronatus)

Polychromos colored pencil. Birthday present for my sister Danielle.

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Quick morning sketch that I think I'll do more with soon!

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Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas)

Polychromos colored pencil on toned paper.

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Fishy doodles

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Inspired by a sweet scene I was able to see on a recent hike. A pair of White-breasted Nuthatches (Sitta carolinesis) courtship feeding. The male brings pieces of food to the female and places it in her bill. The male continues to bring food to the female while she's on the nest, though both parents partake in feeding the young, especially as they grow older.

Watercolor and graphite.

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Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)

Watercolor & graphite

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Red-winged Blackbird with Wetland Flowers - Watercolor & ink on 7x10" watercolor paper.

Singing Red-winged blackbirds are one of my favorite signs of spring. I've surrounded this one with some flowers that are commonly found in this bird's wetland habitat: Blue vervain (Verbena hastata), Northern blue flag iris (Iris versicolor), Marsh marigold (Caltha palustris), and American white water-lily (Nymphaea odorata). I wanted to highlight some of the beauty of our wetlands, which are a vital part of the ecosystem. The many benefits of wetlands include floodwater retention, nutrient cycling and trapping, groundwater recharge, water purification, and wildlife habitat which increases biodiversity. The loss of wetlands is a dangerous recipe for increased flooding and water pollution.

This design is also on my Redbubble shop.