air

Air

The colours of the flowers were vibrant and intense, as were the little humming birds in the bushes and treetops. Inspired by Batik on the Caribbean island of St Kitts, I wanted to convey the sunshine and joy evoked by the natural beauty of this island.

Like Chaucer’s, my vibrant cockerel wants to be noticed: enhancing his strength, his bold and unashamed primary coloured plumage reflects this. I also added my own pictographic alphabet which translated, says how much this free brush style liberated me.

Using wet on wet to capture the dazzling beauty of this bird in flight, the swirling dimensional brushstrokes follow the shape of its wings. Rays of sunlight and dappled droplets of water create magic: its wings seem to fly off the paper with happiness.

In Greek/Egyptian mythology, Carmine Bee Eaters have “medical” properties. In Hinduism, the shape of the bird in flight resembles a bow and arrow; hence, when the world is threatened with destructive forces, these birds are "Preserver/Protector.”

Symbolising enjoyment of the moment, a collage of lace and tissue paper captures this flamboyant bird. It waits patiently on Salt Pan Lakes, Faro; then, with flame-red tickled-pink plumage dancing against the ocean, with graceful power it swoops down.

As many of their 12 tail feathers are over 20” long, the tail expands vertically into a deep, long keel as this male flies with slow wingbeats above his territory. Pastel coloured, the African landscape is a perfect backdrop for these striking birds!

Fun to paint, each penguin in this ice-cold “waddle” has a story. Priscilla struts off - Pandora has got Pablo - Percival stomps off. Pudgy male penguins, who incubate the eggs, have enough fat to survive weeks without eating - so are the most desirable!

Capturing the dazzling beauty of this crane’s proud display, the swirling dimensional brushstrokes follow the shape of its wings. Rays of sunlight and flurries of feathers create magic, the wings seeming to fly off the paper with its energetic dance.

This was a joy to paint. The shapes of the butterflies in yellow, red and orange emerged of their own accord; in their simplicity, they gently hovered around the paper. The splash of azure blue calligraphic markings brings air into a simple composition.

This was a joy to paint. The shapes of the bees and butterflies in yellow, grey and blue emerged of their own accord; in their simplicity, they flitted around the paper. The splash of red and gold for the flowers brings sunshine into a simple composition.

Having admired the unique simplicity and humour of Cambier’s work for years, here I use clear brush strokes to create quick movements for the scurrying people, in contrast with the deliberate stillness of the man suspended in time.

Sun, stars and moon deliberately off-centre, colours evolve and swirl for, blown by the wind, the mythological Firebird transcends Time. It glows with inner radiance, totally trusting the Universe. Pictographic alphabet translates as: “This is who I am.”

In our garden a wood pigeon sat on the bench, another in the tree. They were calling to each other, comforting sounds wrapped in soft feathers of kindness. Since childhood, their long cool notes have made me smile: here is the joy of that summer's day.

The Caribbean national symbol, this pelican waited. Then dart-like, its silver-white plumage blended into the water. Gone!

With fire-glowing tail feathers created in swirling calligraphic strokes as if it is flying off the painting, the mythological Phoenix rises up over and over again. With total trust in the Universe, it transcends Time, glowing with Resurrection and Hope.