Put A Bird On It - KXNet - Bismarck/Minot/Williston/Dickinson

     To each his own -- bird.

     Two local artists draw on different inspiration to create art with a similar feature.  Each piece -- unique in every other way -- has a bird on it.

     "A lot of my inspiration comes from my personal life and just human interaction -- how humans interact.  I used the birds to symbolize that," says artist Ali LaRock.  "Such as in this piece, we see the older bird, the bigger bird, helping out the little bird -- stitching him up.  It's called 'When You Need It.'  I'll be there for you, 'when you need it.'"

     Another take on the theme -- "Put A Bird On It" -- is shaped by one artist's North Dakota roots.

     "A lot of my work is already rooted in North Dakota, so I looked at birds . . . that had kind of a spirit toward me and maybe a spirit, in general, about the human condition, says artist Paul Noot.  Regarding one particular piece, Noot says, "I decided to put the Hummingbird on it and the Flicker.  And the Hummingbird here is basically telling the Flicker that 'I'm out of here,' because the Flicker tends to stay more North."

     The exhibit will be open until February 6th at the Bismarck Downtown Artist Cooperative
-- then it goes on the road.  The pieces are also available for purchase. 

     For more information, including exhibit hours, you can go to the Co-Op's Facebook page or phone them at 391-8803.