"Birds of a Feather," by Justin Suarez, 2023

“My artistic voice is born from a deep love of wildlife, fostered at an early age by my mother, who had a Doctorate in animal behavior. As an adult, I have continued to nurture this connection to nature through the hands-on work I do with birds of prey and other animals at Wild Wings Inc. Building personal relationships with these wild species has informed both my work and my life beyond anything I could have envisioned in my youth. By depicting these natural species on a larger-than-life scale, my hope is for the viewer to be able to appreciate these species in a new way, and explore their own connection to the natural world. I believe that awareness is foundational in all work toward conservation, and thus view work such as mine as integral to the protection of vital habitats and ecosystems.”

The 5 birds Justin painted for Gerena Elementary School are the Puerto Rican Owl, Spindalis, Kingfisher, Amazon Parrot and Puerto Rican Tody. Justin is the co-founder of Roc Paint Division, the City of Rochester’s Youth Mural Arts Program. Roc Paint Division’s mission is to beautify the city through mural arts while providing employment and training opportunities for developing young artists.

IG: @aerosolkingdom

This mural is located on Gerena Elementary, 200 Birnie Ave.