"Painting The Pileated Woodpecker” consists of recycled materials welded and woven into a sculpture of a much larger than life artist's paint brush painting a pileated woodpecker. Roanoke prides itself on its support of the arts, recycling, its natural environment, and its own future growth. The pileated woodpecker, a common bird in Southwest Virginia, along with the paint brush, represent self-discovery and rebirth, and the encouragement of all residents to develop their full potential. The bird symbolizes protection, connection to nature, spiritual resilience, healing, and perseverance. Its simple action of drilling supports nutrient recycling, management of our insect population, and, like Big Lick (now Roanoke), invites other life to the home it has fashioned."

About the artist:
Karen Pannabecker, figurative artist and sculptor, works from her painting and welding studios at Thunder BRidge, a community of 16 artists she co-founded from the former Natural Bridge Juvenile Correction Center in Natural Bridge Station, Virginia. Karen developed her construction skills by working with Habitat for Humanity on many houses in North Carolina and Virginia, rehabilitating five homes of her own, and revisioning and rebuilding Thunder BRidge with her husband, son, and friends. Karen focuses on reusing found materials to create metal portraits of animals and people which, like her oil paintings, convey lifelike emotion. Her work has won numerous awards at regional and national shows and can be viewed at ​karenpannabecker.com

Sourced from:
The artist's statement.