Art & Travel - Arkansas

My corporate side hustle (aka day job) takes me to some very rural and off the beaten path locations where I wouldn’t normally choose to visit but it’s always an adventure. It also challenges me to search for little gems and really appreciate these remote parts of the United States. June 2023, I was sent to Moro, Arkansas it’s about an hour west of Memphis International Airport and 90 miles east of Little Rock. In 1909, when the railroad was a major source of travel and commerce, it was predicted to be a booming town in Arkansas. Unfortunately several events took place in the first half of the 20th century that prevented such prosperity. Influenza, flood, fire and the railroad filing for bankruptcy all played a role in this little town’s economy and it’s inability to grow into the great city it hoped to become.

Today, the town of Moro has about 200 residents, several small businesses and known as a great location for duck hunting. As I drove to my work destination, I saw miles and miles of farm land. And the little gem I found, you may be wondering - the Red-Winged Black Bird. I had never seen so many of these birds in one location. I discovered that the male birds, stocky with glossy-black feathers and red-and-yellow shoulder patches, do everything they can to get noticed on high perches and fiercely defending their territory during mating season. I saw many of these proud birds surveying the landscape from atop telephone wires with those distinctive red shoulder feathers.

The red-wing black birds and farmlands of Arkansas inspired this sketch that will become part of my 50 by 50 travel series.