Warwick Editions & Workshop Arts
BIRDS OF A FEATHER
Particularly Parrots, Songbirds, Raptors, and Fowl
Photographs and Essays by Claire Rosen
Essays by Femke Speelberg (The Metropolitan Museum of Art)
and Joel Sartore ( National Geographic Photo Ark)
December 2025
“One photo at a time, Claire Rosen shows her love for all creatures, great and small.”
Birds of a Feather is a new photobook by Claire Rosen presenting 120 color portraits of live birds, set against opulent, historically inspired backdrops. This interplay of subject and setting invites reflection on themes of beauty, domestication, and the human impulse to collect and classify the natural world.
Ranging from colorful parrots and rosy-hued flamingos, to stoic falcons and darling owls, to backyard chickens and ducks – the images highlight the individuality of each bird, revealing personalities as vivid as their plumage.
Every turn of the page brings a moment of discovery: you may be captivated by the beauty of a bird’s feathers, delighted by a bird that is utterly charming or laugh at an anthropomorphic expression. The captivating photographs and essays weave a layered narrative that connects ornithology, art history, design and ethical questions about human-animal relationships. The project includes 55 different types of birds, including the critically-endangered Javan Green Magpie and African Penguin, the endangered Saker Falcon, African Grey Parrot, Moluccan Cockatoo and Java Sparrow, in addition to the vulnerable Snowy Owl and Hyacinth Macaw.
Lady Amherst Pheasant No. 9590 Damask Brocade Textile
Lutino Cockatiel No. 7874 Damask Motif Paper
Red Tailed Hawk No. 5324 Cut Velvet Damask Motif Textile
Animals are at the center of Rosen’s creative process. Her engagement with nature and understanding of animal behavior guide the work, with each encounter sustained by fascination, admiration, and patience. In her essay The Process Behind the Pictures, she describes her childhood love of animals and how the series began with photographing her own parakeet and other domestic parrots. From there the work expanded to falcons in Dubai, owls in South Africa, pigeons and pheasants in Jordan, flamingos in Florida, and backyard ducks and chickens in Pennsylvania. Each bird was paired with a wallpaper to match its colors and character. Drawing from traditions of scientific illustration and the sensibilities of Victorian wallpaper, Birds of a Feather acknowledges both the admiration and the unintended consequences of human fascination. The result is both portrait and dialogue – between animal and background, captivity and belonging, past and present.
American Goshawk No. 7866 Cut Velvet Damask Motif
Java Sparrow No. 0857 Botanical Paper
Blue Americanus Chicken No. 6178 Toile Paper
Great Horned Owl No. 2514 Printed Floral Textile
Like the imagery, the book design references the past in a contemporary reimagining. The book itself includes design details that can only be appreciated in physical form. Produced in Italy, it’s printed on heavy paper, with historic typography, marbled endpapers and edges, and contains smaller inset pages, with details that extend to a color-coded index referencing the iconic Werner’s Nomenclature of Color, a ribbon bookmark, and a subtle red binding thread.
There are four essays in the book. Femke Speelberg, curator at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, places Claire Rosen within a historical context of design and ornithology. Joel Sartore, National Geographic photographer and founder of the Photo Ark, writes of Rosen’s appreciation of the value of animals as living works that are in need of conservation. And the artist provides a reflection on the enduring role of birds in art and imagination, ending the book with an outline of her creative process. The book also brings together thoughts from historical figures such as Emily Brontë, Henry David Thoreau, and Rachel Carson, and features some lesser-known female figures in the history of ornithology such as Florence Merriam Bailey and Rosalie Edge.
“Thousands of people who had within them a yearning toward nature, a deep-seated need to preserve its beauty, had been in very truth asleep... I know, for I was one of them.”
Lanner Falcon No. 7234 Acanthus Leaf Paper
Blue Gold Macaw No. 7394 Detail
Budgerigars No. 9947 Floral Damask Textile
Hyacinth Macaw No. 7677 Ornamental Neoclassical Paper
Spotted Eagle-Owlets No. 7711 Chinoiserie Damask Textile
Speelberg situates Rosen’s work by drawing connections to William Morris, the 19th-century British designer, and George Edwards, the 18th-century naturalist, who wrote: “art and nature, like two sisters, should always walk hand in hand, so they may reciprocally aid and assist each other.” Speelberg notes that Rosen reverses traditional depictions of the natural world: “In confronting nature with artifice by capturing exotic birds in ornate interiors not unlike those found in the times of both Edwards and Morris, she invites the viewer to think about questions of displacement and belonging.”
Javan Green Magpie No. 2969 Batik Textile
Greater Flamingo No. 0350 Damask Textile
African Penguin No. 7125 Striped Paper
Joel Sartore places Rosen’s work within the larger conversation about how images can shape awareness of the natural world: “Each and every animal is a living work of art. We stand guard in museums over mere paintings, yet we’d dare let a single one of these animals be lost to extinction?”
“How can you expect the birds to sing when their groves are cut down?”
Duck No. 0166 Damask Textile
Galah Cockatoo No. 7461 English Arts & Crafts Paper
Saker Falcon No. 4338 Floral Brocade Textile
For Rosen, the project is both artistic and ethical. It has evolved over a decade – from a purely visual study into an exploration of humanity’s complex relationship with nature. Rosen believes her work is most meaningful when it sparks dialogue, shifts perspectives, and contributes to a mindfulness of animals. The book extends that mission, linking aesthetic inquiry to questions of animal welfare and conservation, ultimately asking “as we admire what nature has inspired in art, what might art do for nature in return?”
“What is it, this urge to own another living creature? And why is it that we understand so well the universal symbol of the bird being set free from a cage?
It’s we who have made the cages. It’s we who must open them.”
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Photographs and Essays by Claire Rosen
Additional Essays by Femke Speelberg and Joel SartoreDesign Direction
Caleb Cain Marcus, Luminosity LabEditor & Creative Advisor
Beth Taubner, MercurylabPublisher
Warwick Editions and Workshop Arts (December 2025)ISBN 979-8-9985632-0-1
Hardcover
208 Pages, 120 Photographs, 8.7 x 12.75”
€ 82,95 / $ 95.00
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Claire Rosen is an award-winning artist whose imaginative photography explores the intersection of art, history, and nature, often featuring live animals in fantastical settings. She is a published author, speaker, and creative director of Warwick Furnace Farm, where she lives and runs her studio, gallery, and artist residency program.
Femke Speelberg is Curator of Historic Ornament, Design and Architecture in the Department of Drawings & Prints at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Her work centers on the role of drawings, prints, and illustrated books in processes of artistic ideation, creation, and exchange. Covering works of art from the Middle Ages to the early twentieth century, her exhibitions and publications are inherently interdisciplinary in scope and connect art objects with the worlds in which they were created and functioned.
Joel Sartore, explorer, photographer, and founder of the National Geographic Photo Ark which uses the power of photography to inspire people to help protect at-risk species before it’s too late. Joel has taken portraits of 16,000 species — and counting — in his quest to document our world’s biodiversity. The goal is to document all of the approximately 20,000 species living in the world’s zoos, aquariums, and wildlife sanctuaries.
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150 Limited Edition Artist Books signed and numbered in a velvet flocked slipcase, that includes an 8" x 10" signed archival pigment print.
$ 550
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A variety of event formats available to engage the public in the launch of the book, Birds of a Feather. These flexible event can be combined and customized to fit your venue, audience, and mission.
BOOK SIGNING
A classic gathering where guests can meet the artist, have their books signed, and engage in casual conversation about the artwork and the stories behind the images.ARTIST TALK
With a visual slideshow presentation, the artist offers insights into her creative process; from concept development and technical execution to deeper themes of representation and avian conservation. The talk explores her inspiration, historical influences, and the dialogue between nature and visual art.DINNER EXPERIENCE
An immersive multi-sensory dining event. A beautifully styled table echoes the visual themes of Birds of a Feather, with each course conceptually tied to the aesthetics of the series. A visual and culinary feast, this unforgettable evening celebrates design, beauty, and birds.DEMONSTRATION WITH AMBASSADOR BIRDS
Step inside the photographic process. In this live demonstration, the artist shares her approach to working with animals while guests observe a photo session featuring ambassador birds. Add on: Each attendee receives a signed fine art print from the shoot—a memorable keepsake from a unique experience.GALLERY EXHIBITION
An installation of work from Birds of a Feather, suitable for museums, galleries, or institutions focused on the decorative arts, natural history, contemporary conceptual photography, animal conservation, or female artists. Exhibitions can be accompanied by programming, including talks, tours, or workshops.FUNDRAISING OPPORTUNITIES FOR BIRD CONSERVATION
Partner with Claire to raise awareness and support for avian preservation efforts. Fundraisers may include limited edition book or print auctions, artist Q&As, themed dinners, or conservation-centered programming drawn from the events above.FOR BOOKINGS CONTACT:
Claire Rosen
studio@claire-rosen.com -
An installation of Birds of a Feather artwork comprising of 36” x 24” and/or 60” x 40” pieces (size and quantity to be determined depending on the space). Artwork can be printed on canvas and framed without glass or printed on paper and framed traditionally. Frame profile to be agreed upon according to the aesthetics of the space. When possible hang artwork on complementary wallpapered walls or painted with an accent color. Include audio of bird calls and songs.
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Limited Edition Archival Pigment Prints
18” x 12” | edition of 15 | $ 975
36” x 24” | edition of 07 | $ 3,000
60” x 40” | edition of 05 | $ 5,000Limited Edition Archival Pigment Prints on Hahnemuhle German Etching Fine Art Paper or Fredrik Canvas. Prints are signed and numbered on the front. Dimensions refer to the Image Size. Prints have an additional 1" paper white border around the Image Size. Retail Prices. Prices will rise as edition runs out. Prices do not include Matting, Framing, Mounting, or Installation.
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Dana Rakhim, Photobook Publicist, Pushing Books
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