Patricia Marin Miranda was introduced to feather art in her native country Costa Rica. Her interest in Native American Indian and Southwestern themes stems from her own indigenous roots.Feather art, known as "arteplumaria", is one of the highest, most elegant and sumptuous arts of pre-Hispanic and colonial periods in what is now Mexico. This highly developed art was produced by special artisans who had permission to use the feathers of the most sacred birds of the Aztecs. The feathers were gathered from the ground during the natural molting of the birds when they seasonally changed their plumes. They loved birds and never killed them for their feathers. The "golden age" for this technique as an art form was from just before the Spanish conquest to about a century afterwards. Influenced after the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire in 1521 and throughout Colonialism, master artists used feathers of Central American birds that found their way into biblical scenes and iconic scenes of Europe. This influence saw the transformation of indigenous feather art into a colonial export from New Spain. The art was prized by royalty and wealthy Europeans. An art form mostly lost due to the dying out of the masters during the 17th Century, Patricia is inspired by these indigenous artists and has developed her own unique technique that is a rediscovery of the use of feathers as a "canvas" for beautiful and memorable scenes. Unlike the earliest methods of tying the feathers together in a mosaic to create an overall pattern with smaller fragments glued on top to create a representational feather "painting", Patricia carefully paints directly on the feathers with acrylics and oils.Each 100% natural feather is carefully selected and then assembled together to make a "canvas" that is studied for its texture, feather vane lines and contours that are then used as a natural part of the painted image flowing and mixing with the paint from Patricia's brush.