Reception Planned for Renowned Bird Artist at Rich's Backyard Birds
River Hills resident John Costin has won dozens of awards for his intaglio prints of native Florida birds.
Rich Crete didn’t know the customer’s name. He only knew the man was a fellow bird lover who frequently visited Crete’s store, Rich’s Backyard Birds, in FishHawk Ranch, to purchase bird seed. Each time the customer visited, he paid cash for his purchases. Then, a few months ago, the customer paid with a credit card. “I immediately recognized the name,” said Crete. That’s because Crete owns several works of bird art signed with that name. The customer turned out to be renowned Tampa Bay bird artist John Costin, a resident of River Hills. “I asked him if he’d be interested in selling some of his artwork in my store and, lo and behold, he agreed,” said Crete. “It was a perfect fit.” To celebrate having Costin’s work in his store, Crete will …
