Illustrator JooHee Yoon’s Birds of Rhode Island Lands Takes Flight With an Audubon Launch Event

From Prudence Island to downtown Providence, illustrator JooHee Yoon’s birding adventures sent her crisscrossing the state taking reference photos and notes on our feathered kin. She studiously observed osprey nesting on platforms by the shore, peregrine falcons raising their young atop the Superman Building, and egrets flocking to roost on Rose Island, among many other encounters. Her diligent field notes culminated into Birds of Rhode Island, her latest book which comes out this month with a launch and exhibition at the Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium in Bristol.

“I find the variety in pattern, shape, and color to be endlessly inspiring,” says Yoon of her latest subject, which is preceded by a wide portfolio of published work inspired by nature. Such pieces have appeared in The New Yorker, The Globe, and the New York Times, among other periodicals. Her first picture book, Beastly Verse, is made up of animal-themed poems she selected to appear alongside her illustrations. Birds of Rhode Island serves a functional use as a colorful field guide, helping readers identify the state’s avian life, but she also expresses, “seeing how these creatures move and interact with one another firsthand – it’s difficult not to assign a personality to each of them.”

Yoon notes that most wildlife guides take on a detailed approach to convey a strong sense of accuracy, but it was also her goal to “inject a little more playfulness.” She continues, “My approach with every project is to find the right style that fits the format and where/how the project will be viewed. To that end, for this guide I settled on a more linear approach, closer to how I draw in my sketchbook.” Working from her own reference photos, resources from the Audubon Center, and countless hours spent simply watching birds in their natural habitats, engaging in ordinary behaviors, she was able to strike that balance.

Elaborating on a background in traditional printmaking techniques, such as screenprinting and linocut, Yoon chose to begin with hand-drawn images that she edited digitally to portray the birds in a style that emphasizes patterns and shapes. “Although stylistically the images may appear different from my previous work, the printing process is an integral part of this project,” she explains. “The entire book was printed in three overlapping spot inks, and each image is hand-separated into layers.” The project was in part funded by a 2024 Interlace Grant, which provides grants and resources to Providence-area visual artists, and in keeping with the aim of the book, it was printed in Rhode Island.

In a year of birding around the state, Yoon gleaned insights about the art of seeking. “One of the things I realized almost as soon as I started birding is that you don’t have to go far to spot interesting wildlife,” she says. “If you keep your eyes and ears open, I think many people will be surprised by what they can see in their neighborhoods.”

Yoon was also part of the Rose Island Artist Residency, and spent a week in the lighthouse’s foghorn room, right by the ocean, watching flocks of cormorants fishing for herring every morning. She had free reign to explore the nature refuge, which is open to visitors after nesting season, and a prime site for spotting shorebirds like egrets, herons, glossy ibises, and American oyster catchers. “We were beset by a storm halfway through the week,” she says. “All the ferries to the island were canceled, which meant it was just the artists-in-residence who had the island all to ourselves. It was a truly inspiring time!”

“It’s amazing how adaptable birds can be, making a home in urban environments, but equally fantastic to visit a spot that is relatively undisturbed, and seeing the birds thrive in each given environment,” she continues. Her book is sure to inspire readers to take up a birding hobby, and to them, she offers this takeaway: “However long my to-do list might be, for that hour or two I am outside looking for birds, I feel free from the deadlines clamoring for my attention.”

The book launch for Birds of Rhode Island takes place at the Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium on May 3, with a talk at 2pm, followed by a reception and signing. An exhibit of her  finished illustrations, sketches, bird photos, and book spreads will be on view through June.

East Bay Birding

JooHee Yoon’s bird-spotting quest took her all over the state. Here are a few of her favorites for new and seasoned enthusiasts alike:

East Bay Bike Path

Stretching from East Providence to Bristol, there are many opportunities to slow down and spy birds along the way.

Jacob’s Point Preserve, Warren

Home to tidal marshland, and near the Audubon Nature Center, this site provides nesting grounds for the saltmarsh sparrow, willet, purple martin, and osprey, just to name a few frequent fliers.

Prudence Island

Situated in the Narragansett Bay, this is a must-visit destination for nature lovers. “It was interesting to see what a difference it makes having undeveloped land left to run wild,” notes Yoon. “You could hear so many more types of bird song than in an urban environment.” Sign up for Audubon’s Spring Birding on Prudence Island on May 15 at ASRI.org.