PARADISE BIRDS
​BY WALTER 
​ walter cartategui  fine art

I was born in Uruguay, South America. For the last 45 years, I have lived in the United States of America and am proud to be a citizen of this country. I  graduated from White Plains High School in New York and then went on to study art at the  Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. During the Vietnam era,  I served this country with the Army's Elite 82nd Airborne Division and received an honorable discharge when my term of service was complete. After working as a welder and pipe fitter at Westrock for 30 years, I recently retired and can now dedicate both days and nights to my work. Currently a resident of Nassau County, Florida, my work is on exhibit  at the Amelia Island Art Association, located in Fernandina Beach, Florida.

All my subjects are birds and flowers that are rendered with great precision utilizing watercolors and inks. The results are exquisite, large, colorfully rich drawings and paintings.

​My admiration and love for birds started at an early age in my native country of Uruguay. My maternal grandfather and uncle raised and bred birds of many different species. Entering into the backyard was like entering into the wild. There were many fruit trees and large cages where some of the birds were kept. The chaja, a non-flying native species, was let loose  to roam. I remember collecting the birds' shed feathers and admiring the colors and shapes and also remember the many sounds of all the different kinds of birds, sounds that I will never forget. I love painting birds because it takes me back to my childhood and all my birds are free, not in cages, as they should be.

FERNANDINA BEACH, FLORIDA
​PH. 904-574-0147