Woodcock Watercolor by Shari McCollough

Three artists. Three mediums. One beloved little forest oddball.

For the past few years, artist friends Robin Janson, Shari McCollough, and Rhiannon Thunnel have shared a creative tradition, each selecting the same bird species and interpreting it through their own artistic style. This year, they chose the American Woodcock, one of the most recognizable and delightfully strange birds of the Indiana dunes and beyond.

In this original watercolor, Shari McCollough captures the soft texture, earthy tones, and gentle personality of the woodcock with beautiful detail and warmth. The painting highlights the bird's iconic oversized eye and long bill while giving it an almost storybook presence.

The American Woodcock has become something of a mascot among Indiana birders and has even appeared in past Indiana Dunes Birding Festival artwork and branding. It is a bird that inspires smiles, double takes, and probably more "what exactly am I looking at?" reactions than almost any other species in the woods.

This watercolor is part of the Woodcock Art Trilogy, alongside companion felted and blown glass interpretations created by the two collaborating artists.