"White Pullet'' (encaustic), by HELENE FARRAR, in the show "Little by Little, Bird by Bird,'' at Monkitree gallery, in Gardiner, Maine.

The show includes bird-inspired art by nine Maine artists.

Ms. Farrar says she came to crafting birds when her dying mother made hamburger available to attract, and watch the beauty of, a flock of birds. (Not so beautiful for the steer killed to make the hamburger.)

"As they swooped down for their dinner, their flying and fluttering forms forced a moment of quiet and observation in an otherwise intense and painful period in my life. Birds from that point on became something else -- a witness to life's events and cycles, portraits, commentaries on life and relationships, and a general slice of humor.''

The gallery says that whether "they symbolize peace or freedom, flight or ambition, birds are the sole focus of the artists in this exhibition.''

Has she seen The Birds, the Alfred Hitchcock movie?