My Cotinga is the queen of birds, a creature of the forest. She is a fairy-typed shape shifter. By day she is a bird, hiding from human eyes in the crown of high trees. At night she changes into a beautiful, girl fairy. I attempted to paint her in the process of changing when her wings rearrange into arms and her claws into human feet.

Cotingas are a family of tropical birds which includes attilas, becards, mourners, pihas, tityras, and the spectacular South American umbrella-birds, bell-birds, cock-of -the-rock, and the Mexican Blue Cotinga.

I thought the name Cotinga is fitting for a queen of birds.