Bob Speare has enjoyed an affinity with the natural world since he was very young. Growing up in Western Massachusetts, he spent most of his time outdoors exploring birds, insects, fish, frogs, snakes, plants and more. One summer, shortly after putting up a bird feeder as a young boy, a Rose-breasted Grosbeak showed up and from that point on, he was hooked. He enjoyed a 25 year career with the Massachusetts Audubon Society, sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm for birds and other wildlife with thousands in his classes, outings and tours. Music and photography have been an artistic outlet for most of his life, and now residing in the Carolinas, Bob continues to explore his deep connection with birds and other wildlife though his multimedia sculptures, utilizing found objects and more. These sculptures begin with a focus on form and function - how its particular body shape and its parts define how the bird developed through the millennia to exploit its particular niche in the world. The shape of its bill, for example, tells us what it eats and often how it obtains its food. This may also combine with a sense of individual personality which often emerges as the sculpture progresses. Each piece is unique and often reflects upon a personal interaction or impression Bob experienced with this species in the past. “It allows me to revisit a particular time when I observed this bird, watching its behaviors, listening to its song, or just enjoying its presence. My hope is that the feeling that inspired me in that moment is reflected in the piece, and is communicated to others.”