Read this Wildlife Art Journal article

The late Virginia Eckelberry referred to members of this enigmatic flock as "little Eckelbirds"—a fond describtion of the hundreds of birds atists who were influenced by, and sought critiques from her husband, avian painting legend Don Richard Eckelberry. Eckelberry himself never encouraged his youthful charges to paint like him; he implored them instead to paint from their own guts, hearts, and souls.  One of the many Eckelberry underlings is Michael A. DiGiorgio. 

In this installment of Wildlife Art Journal's Five Questions/Five Artworks, Deborah Kaspari asks DiGiorgio about Eckelberry, his passion for painting tropical birds, and his search for the elusive ivory-billed woodpecker.  The artist even gives readers a look at paintings and plates prepared for a number of field guides. DiGiorigio was the first recipient of the Don and Virginia Eckelberry Endowment Fellowship overseen by Bob Peck at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. The purpose of the grant is to encourage more bird artists to paint afield and indeed DiGiorigio's curiosity has taken him into the deep tropics where avifauna is at its richest.  

Bill Thompson II, editor of Bird Watchers Digest, has described the artist this way:  ""Mike DiGiorgio is a creative wonder among today's bird artists. He is a consummate field birder, a keen observer, and a talented artist and illustrator equally at home in a variety of mediums."

A participant over the years at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum's annual Birds in Art exhibition and numerous other nature...