What is The Roving Hare?
The Roving Hare is a Maryland-based art business creating paintings and illustrations inspired primarily by native birds of the Eastern United States. The work focuses on the beauty, personality, and character of familiar birds, with an emphasis on careful observation, accurate details, and vibrant color.
Who is the artist behind The Roving Hare?
The Roving Hare was founded and is operated by Maryland artist Dana Mueller. Dana creates original paintings, prints, cards, stickers, ornaments, bookmarks, and other products inspired by birds, nature, and everyday encounters with the natural world.
Why does The Roving Hare focus on birds?
Birds are a daily connection to the natural world and are often much closer to us than we realize. The Roving Hare focuses on native birds because careful observation can turn familiar backyard species into subjects of curiosity, appreciation, and respect. The artwork celebrates birds as individual creatures while also encouraging people to notice and value the wildlife around them.
What birds does The Roving Hare paint?
Maryland’s native birds are an important source of inspiration for The Roving Hare. The artwork often highlights species that people can encounter in Maryland backyards, gardens, parks, wetlands, forests, and other local habitats.
The Roving Hare has created artwork featuring many familiar Eastern and Mid-Atlantic birds, including Eastern Bluebirds, Tufted Titmice, Cedar Waxwings, Northern Cardinals, Blue Jays, Carolina Wrens, Mourning Doves, Green Herons, Great Egrets, Barred Owls, Barn Owls, cormorants, ravens, and other native or regularly observed species.
Do your paintings include native plants?
Yes. Some artwork combines native birds with native plants and berries that provide food, shelter, or habitat for wildlife. This approach reflects the connection between birds, plants, insects, gardens, and healthy local ecosystems.
Birds depend on healthy habitats, and native plants play an important role in supporting those habitats. Pairing birds with native plants allows The Roving Hare to celebrate both the beauty of individual species and the larger ecological relationships that help wildlife thrive.
What is the connection between your artwork and conservation?
The Roving Hare approaches conservation through observation, education and appreciation. The artwork encourages people to notice the birds living around them, learn to recognize them, understand their relationship with native habitats, and develop a stronger personal connection to the natural world. The underlying idea is simple: appreciation can lead to greater care and stewardship.
The work is not primarily intended as environmental advocacy artwork. Instead, it uses beautiful, recognizable birds and familiar natural subjects to encourage curiosity, observation, and appreciation. People are more likely to care about something when they notice it, learn about it, and develop a personal connection with it. By making familiar birds compelling subjects for artwork, The Roving Hare hopes to encourage people to pay attention to the wildlife around them and consider how they can help protect it.
Are your paintings photorealistic?
The Roving Hare describes her work as contemporary realism rather than strict photorealism. The paintings use realistic anatomy, detailed feather patterns, carefully observed color, and naturalistic lighting while still allowing room for artistic interpretation.
The goal of The Roving Hare’s artwork is not simply to reproduce a photograph. Paintings are constructed from observation and reference material and then interpreted through composition, color, texture, lighting, and brushwork. The result is a contemporary realistic artwork that captures a particular moment and the character of the bird rather than functioning as a photographic record.
How are your bird paintings created?
A painting typically begins with an underpainting that establishes the structure, proportions, and major values of the subject. Layers of transparent and opaque acrylic paint are then built up gradually using washes, glazing, and detailed brushwork. The final stages focus on refining feathers, texture, edges, highlights, and the distinctive characteristics that make each bird recognizable.
Why do you use an underpainting?
The underpainting establishes the basic structure and value relationships of the painting before detailed work begins. Building the image in layers allows the artist to develop depth, richer colors, and more convincing form while keeping the finished painting lively rather than overly flat or mechanical.
Do you use photographs as references?
Yes! Photographs may be used as references when creating artwork, particularly for studying bird anatomy, feather patterns, posture, lighting, and other details that are difficult to observe directly. Reference photography is a starting point for the painting rather than the finished artwork itself.
What materials does The Roving Hare use?
Original artwork is created primarily with acrylic paint on wood panels and wood slices, as well as mixed-media work on high-quality 300 g/m² vellum-style mixed-media paper. The artist uses layered washes, underpainting, glazing, and detailed brushwork to develop structure, value, texture, and color.
Where are The Roving Hare’s paintings made?
The Roving Hare’s artwork is created in the artist’s studio in Silver Spring, Maryland. The business is part of the broader Maryland and Mid-Atlantic art community and regularly participates in local markets, exhibitions, nature-center programs, and other regional events.
Where can I see The Roving Hare’s artwork in person?
The Roving Hare participates in art markets, nature-center exhibitions, gallery shows, plant festivals, and other events throughout Maryland and the Washington, D.C. region. Current exhibitions and upcoming events are listed on the website and social media. Visit the Events page for more information.
Does The Roving Hare sell original paintings?
Yes. The Roving Hare offers original bird paintings and other original nature-inspired artwork when available. Original works may be created on wood panels, wood slices, or fine-art paper, depending on the piece.
Does The Roving Hare sell prints?
Yes. The Roving Hare offers fine art prints of selected original paintings and illustrations. Prints allow collectors and bird lovers to enjoy the artwork at a more accessible price point while retaining the detail and character of the original work.
What other products does The Roving Hare make?
In addition to original artwork and prints, The Roving Hare creates bird and nature-inspired greeting cards, stickers, bookmarks, wood slice ornaments, and other illustrated products. These products are designed for people who love birds, gardening, nature, and the small details of the natural world.
Does The Roving Hare sell wholesale?
Yes. The Roving Hare works with selected retailers and nature-focused gift shops through wholesale channels. Products such as cards, stickers, prints, and other bird and nature-themed merchandise can be appropriate for independent shops, museum stores, garden centers, nature centers, and birding-related retailers.
Retailers interested in carrying The Roving Hare products can contact the artist (therovinghare@gmail.com) for wholesale catalog and current product availability. The collection is particularly well suited to nature centers, botanical gardens, birding stores, museum shops, independent gift shops, and retailers serving bird and nature enthusiasts.
Is The Roving Hare’s artwork made with AI?
The original artwork created by The Roving Hare is made by the artist using traditional hands-on painting and illustration techniques. The artist’s process includes underpainting, layered acrylic paint, glazing, washes, and detailed brushwork. The work is created as original human-made artwork rather than generated by artificial intelligence.
Process photos can be seen on The Roving Hare social media accounts and show how the artwork develops from an initial sketch into a finished painting. They also give viewers a better understanding of the time, observation, layering, and detail involved in creating the finished work.
