“Artist Paula Swisher has come up with a quirky way of lessening the stress of household bills - by doodling highly intricate birds on each one. Swisher, 37, has drawn hundreds of birds in her lifetime and puts her love of ornithology down to the nature walks she went on as a youngster. Looking for work during the recession, she began sketching birds on the inside of books, seeing the practice as a creative way to mutate the pages into something fresh. But now she's made the transition from books to bills – while admittedly making a playful commentary on the predatory banking businesses”. – Caters News

A woman has come up with a quirky way of lessening the stress of bills – by doodling highly intricate birds like this vulture on each one. (Photo by Paula Swisher/Caters News)

During the recession and looking for work she began sketching birds on the inside of books, seeing the practice as a creative way to mutate the pages into something fresh. Bluebird drawing on an AT&T bill. (Photo by Paula Swisher/Caters News)

Some of her favorite birds include herons, sparrows, crows, red-winged blackbirds and warblers. A drawing of a cardinal seemed fititng with red notice. (Photo by Paula Swisher/Caters News)

Paula Swisher, 37, has drawn hundreds of birds in her lifetime and puts her love of ornithology down to the nature walks she went on when as a youngster. A hawk drawn by Paula. (Photo by Paula Swisher/Caters News)

“I tend to draw the bird that will have the best impact with the page I am drawing on rather than the bird that I like the most”. Here's a drawing of a Snow owl. (Photo by Paula Swisher/Caters News)

During the recession Paula was struggling to scrape together enough freelance design projects. Wanting to draw but needing to focus my time on seeking freelance work I made a deal with myself that I could only draw if it was with non-art materials. A warbler on alumni letter. (Photo by Paula Swisher/Caters News)

Paula, from Racine in Wisconsin, USA, drew her first bird when she was seven and estimates she has drawn hundreds since, said: In a good week I'll work on several different bird drawings – it takes several hours to complete a single piece. (Photo by Paula Swisher/Caters News)

The drawings on bills explore a common stressor among creative people – paying bills and managing finances. A tanager appears on an envelope. (Photo by Paula Swisher/Caters News)

“But it also makes a playful commentary on predatory businesses and the role of lending institutions in the financial collapse, which was when I started drawing birds like this Hummingbird”. (Photo by Paula Swisher/Caters News)

Paula started tearing out pages from old books and working in ball-point ink and white-out. I enjoyed working with the content of the pages, transforming the meaning of the text with what I drew on it. Blackbird on a back of jumk mail. (Photo by Paula Swisher/Caters News)

But now Paula has made the transition from books to bills – which she admits, make a playful commentary on the predatory banking businesses. A vulture seems fitting on a bill. (Photo by Paula Swisher/Caters News)

“My mother was an avid nature lover and took my siblings and I on nature walks teaching us the names of all the birds, trees and plants around us. That appreciation for nature has stayed with me as seen with this falcon”. (Photo by Paula Swisher/Caters News)