Exotic birds and animals fill the giant canvases of Hunt Slonem (b. 1951), an artist whose brilliantly colorful paintings are imbued with a reverence for nature. While Slonem's work embraces a broad range of subjects -- from pre-Columbian ceremonial objects and butterflies to saints, go-go dancers, and Rudolph Valentino -- it is his bird paintings, based on his personal aviary, that have brought him the greatest acclaim. He -- and the dozens of tropical birds who share his vast Chelsea loft and serve as models for his most spectacular artworks -- has been the subject of many television and magazine portraits.In the first monograph on this rising star, noted art critic Donald Kuspit is unstinting in his praise, placing Slonem in the company of the great artists of the ages.