Continuing with my ‘not so Still Lifes’ I have kept painting little local birds on teacups. This time rather than just finches as was in my exhibition I am painting a variety of mini birds on fine china. This one is a scarlet honeyeater, the most surprising visitor to our yard, not only because of […]
Project Type: Watercolours
The Fruit Picker 2016
Every year we have a beautiful female bower bird come into our yard and use our bright blue bird bath, steal a couple of fruits off our strawberry fruit tree (yes, there is such a thing) and then vanish. We have never seen her partner, but we know they are in the area, we have […]
High Tea Zebra Finch 2016
This little fellow has the cutest orange cheeks as well as being attired in very hip spots and stripes! How fashionable! Not to mention his big dark eyes! Way too cute. This one is dancing on the lip of a striking blue teacup, of course! Included in my Teatray in the Sky Exhibition High Tea […]
The Rosellas 2016
In Australia the roselle fruit has had it’s name changed to rosella, I suspect the pretty red crimson rosella perched precariously on this bowl of fruit is the culprit, and all because his name is almost exactly the same… That is the power of a pretty face. Included in my Teatray in the Sky Exhibition […]
The Sugar Addict 2016
This is a painting of the only non-Mudgee region native, although I have seen the odd escaped pets flying freely over the skies of Mudgee. This naughty rainbow lorikeet is based on the colony which hang out at the Art Gallery of NSW and would dangle upside-down from the umbrellas at the cafe and steal […]
High Tea: Plum Headed Finch 2016
What could be cuter than finches perched delicately on the edge of fine china? This is the plum-headed finch which I photographed by accident. I was at the Putta Bucca Wetlands photographing the rainbow bee-eaters and when I got home and looked at my photos I noticed that sitting quietly on a branch just next […]
High Tea Diamond Firetail 2016
This little local native finch, the diamond firetail, is listed as being ‘vulnerable’ in New South Wales. It makes me feel especially lucky to say that it is alive and well in the Mudgee region… even if I haven’t seen one on our property, I have seen them elsewhere. What a stunning little bird, it […]
High Tea: Red Browed Finch 2016
Regular tea drinkers at the Mudgee cafe Artisan on Lewis may recognise this little teacup and saucer. This one includes a welcome little visitor, the red-browed finch, a gorgeous little local wild bird of the region. Although sweet in temperament with their striking vivid red eyebrow they look perpetually grumpy, poor little things, maybe a […]
Galah-In-A-Box 2016
If you ever have a bit of time to watch the antics of galahs you will realise that they are just out for fun… and lots of it! they sneak up on other birds, they tumble round branches in trees, they swoop and dive for fun. I tried to come up with a way to […]
High Tea: Double Barred Finch 2016
Another cute little bird on a teacup. This time it is a double-barred finch, one of our regular visitors, on a willow pattern tea cup. Willow pattern always makes me think of visiting my grandmother. Amongst the Toby Jugs and Staffordshire Dogs I am pretty sure she had a willow pattern dinner set… or maybe […]
Nectar of the Gods: Scarlet Honeyeater 2016
For those non-teetotaller types I have produced a range of honeyeaters perched precariously on sherry/port glasses. After all, they like nothing better than a sweet aperitif… certainly sweet nectar anyway. This one features the stunningly beautiful and absolutely tiny scarlet honeyeater which we have only seen in our yard once. As you can imagine, I […]
Nectar of the Gods: Eastern Spinebill 2016
I’m sure that if this little eastern spinebill did want to indulge in some sort of alcoholic drink, his tipple of choice would certainly be a Mudgee port of some description… Who can resist the sweet nectar of the gods… Included in my Teatray in the Sky Exhibition Nectar of the Gods: Eastern Spinebill Watercolour […]