When Charley Harper paints a bird, he doesn't count all the feathers in the wings—he just counts the wings. He reduces his subject to the simplest possible visual terms without losing its identity. Minimal realism, he calls it. And he claims to be the only wildlife artist in America who has never been compared to Audubon.

Charley's paintings have appeared in nature-oriented magazines and on posters for many conservation-minded organizations, among them the National Park Service, Cincinnati Zoo, Cincinnati Nature Center, Hamilton County (Ohio) Park District, and Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in Pennsylvania. He has illustrated The Golden Book of Biology, The Animal Kingdom, Birds & Words, and Beguiled by the Wild: The Art of Charley Harper and has produced more than one hundred limited edition serigraphs.

Mystery of the Missing Migrants first appeared in Audubon magazine, accompanying an article about declining migratory bird populations. It's a powerful, beautiful work, and we are honored to present portions of it on every bag of COFFEE FOR THE BIRDS™.

Editor's Note: With great sadness, we mark the passing of Charley Harper on June 10, 2007. A wonderful tribute to this internationally beloved artist has been published by the Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati. Please take a moment to read more about the life and work of Charley Harper by visiting http://www.contemporaryartscenter.org/harper

Every bag of COFFEE FOR THE BIRDS™ is graced by artwork from Charley Harper's Mystery of the Missing Migrants.

Migrant Gallery # 1
Migrant Gallery # 2

Beguiled by the Wild