Our Gambel's Quail

Eric and I got married two weeks ago in Seattle, and my childhood friend, Katia, came from France to attend the wedding.  She is a very creative person who enjoys taking classes in painting on porcelain near Paris.  When she found out we had gotten engaged in summer, she decided she wanted to give Eric and me a special painting on porcelain piece.

She and her painting teacher, Dominique, then did an Internet search for plants and animals of the Southwest.  First, they thought Dominique could paint some saguaro cacti, but then they found a photo of the lovely Gambel's Quail, and their decision was made.  She painted the plate with great precision and in a nice pose, explaining on the back of the plate which colors she had used and when & where she had painted it.

The first morning that we were back in Tucson at our home in the desert, we saw a beautiful Gambel's Quail just like the one on our friend's pretty plate!