Minnesota Birds in Decline: Fine Art Prints

Minnesota Birds in Decline: Fine Art Prints

Fine art giclee prints of the watercolor paintings in Annie Shao's upcoming art exhibit featuring Minnesota native bird species that are in population decline.
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Fine art prints of the Minnesota Birds in Decline exhibit!

Spread of six bird paintings. Text underneath reads "Snowy Owl, Horned Grebe, Field Sparrow, Black Tern, Connecticut Warbler, Henslow's Sparrow"

From September 2-30, my solo exhibit will be at Ramsey County Library - Roseville. The 12 watercolor paintings highlight bird species native to Minnesota that are in population decline, endangered, or of special conservation concern.

The initial goal will fund the printing costs for archival giclée prints.
Spread of six bird paintings. Text underneath reads "Dunlin, Wood Thrush, Rusty Blackbird, Common Loon, Boreal Owl, Evening Grosbeak"
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Rewards

Mock-ups of prints of dunlin, horned grebe, Connecticut warbler, boreal owl, rusty blackbird, field sparrow, wood thrush, evening grosbeak and Henslow's sparrow
Small Print ($20)
One archival giclée print of your choice. Artwork size 8x8" with a 1/2" white border (total print size 9x9")

Artwork choices for small prints include the Rusty Blackbird, Evening Grosbeak, Boreal Owl, Field Sparrow, Horned Grebe, Henslow's Sparrow, Wood Thrush, Connecticut Warbler and Dunlin.

Mock-ups of prints of common loon, snowy owl, and black tern

Large Print ($30)
One archival giclée print of your choice. Artwork size 12x12" with a 1/2" white border (total print size 13x13")

Artwork choices for large prints include the Snowy Owl, Common Loon, and Black Tern.

Printed with 100% archival inks on matte archival paper.

The exact prints you want will be chosen after the campaign ends. Shipping and handling and sales taxes will be charged in the pledge manager before fulfillment. 
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Come see the original paintings!

These paintings are a part of a solo exhibit! For the month of September, the exhibit will be in the main atrium of Ramsey County Library - Roseville (2180 Hamline Ave N, Roseville, MN 55113) I will hold an Artist's Meet-and-Greet from 10AM-12PM on 9/6/25.
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About the Birds

How I selected the birds
These paintings are a selection from my ongoing project called the Life List series, where I do watercolor paintings of every wild bird I have observed. For this exhibit, I wanted to raise awareness of birds in Minnesota that are most affected by climate change. With a decline of 2.9 billion adult birds in North America since 1970 (Cornell Lab of Ornithology), conservation is more important than ever!

Painting of two black terns. Text reads: "Black Tern. Conservation Status: Common bird in steep decline. Partners in Flight Yellow Watch List. Fun fact: Perform courtship flights in large groups up to 300"

Painting of a boreal owl. Text reads: "Boreal Owl. Conservation Status: Minnesota Ornithologists' Union Special Concern. Fun fact: Like many other owls, their ears are asymmetrical, allowing them to pinpoint prey by sound"

Painting of a common loon with a baby on its back. Text reads: "Common Loon. Conservation Status: High priority in many Bird Conservation Regions of Waterbird plans. Fun fact: American Birding Association 2025 Bird of the Year. Loons take off like an airplane and need up to a quarter mile of "runway" on top of water"

Painting of a Connecticut warbler. Text reads: "Connecticut Warbler. Conservation Status: Partners in Flight Yellow Watch List. Fun fact: Very elusive bird that prefers to walk on the ground, more often heard than seen"

Painting of a dunlin. Text reads: "Dunlin. Conservation Status: IUCN Near Threatened. Common bird in steep decline. Fun Fact: Unique drooping bill

Painting of a pair of evening grosbeaks. Text reads "Evening Grosbeak. Conservation Status: IUCN Vulnerable. 2025 State of the Birds Orange Alert Tipping Point Species. Fun Fact: These finches are irruptive, meaning their migration pattern is irregular and not based on length of day. They tend to arrive in huge numbers when they migrate"

Painting of a field sparrow. Text reads: "Field Sparrow. Conservation Status: 2025 State of the Birds Yellow Alert Tipping Point Species. Fun Fact: Their call is often referred to as a "bouncing ball" trill"

Painting of a Henslow's sparrow. Text reads: "Henslow's Sparrow. Conservation Status: Endangered in Minnesota. 2025 State of the Birds Yellow Alert Tipping Point Species. Fun Fact: A skulky bird found in prairies"

Painting of a horned grebe. Text reads: "Horned Grebe. Conservation Status: IUCN Vulnerable. 2025 State of the Birds Yellow Alert Tipping Point Species. Fun Fact: Like many other grebes, they eat their own feathers to protect their stomachs from fish bones"

Painting of a rusty blackbird. Text reads: "Rusty Blackbird. Conservation Status: IUCN Vulnerable. Common bird in steep decline. Fun Fact: Named for its rust-colored non-breeding plumage and its call that sounds like a rusty door hinge"

Painting of a snowy owl. Text reads: "Snowy Owl. Conservation Status: IUCN Vulnerable. Partners in Flight Yellow Watch List. Fun Fact: Heaviest owl of North America"

Painting of a wood thrush. Text reads: "Wood Thrush. Conservation Status: 2025 State of the Birds Yellow Alert Tipping Point Species. Fun Fact: Can sing multiple notes simultaneously"
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About Me

Photo of the artist hanging a painting
I'm Annie, I’m a traditional artist and a huge bird nerd! I was first taught traditional Chinese watercolor painting in 2006, and over the decades I have built my unique art style incorporating Chinese and self-taught techniques. I work with watercolor, markers, colored pencil and more to capture my love for nature and birds. 
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Shipping and Fulfillment

If this campaign funds, you will receive a survey after it ends to choose your prints and make any changes to your order. Once I have all of those, I will put in the print order. It will take about 1-7 business days for printing. The prints will ship directly from the print studio. I estimate delivery will be in October 2025. 

Shipping and handling and sales taxes will be charged in the pledge manager before fulfillment.  For US orders, I estimate $8, plus sales tax. International orders will ship delivery duty unpaid.
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