Coloured Bird, 2023

I've been painting abstracted birds into some of my canvases for a few years now. Usually negative space painting - where you don't paint the bird itself so much as describe it by painting around it - like a Matisse cut-out. For me - and I suspect...

I've been painting abstracted birds into some of my canvases for a few years now. Usually negative space painting - where you don't paint the bird itself so much as describe it by painting around it - like a Matisse cut-out. For me - and I suspect for most people - birds represent freedom. So that's an appealing symbol to work with. I decided to do some small, closeup up bird paintings and really explore the shape of the bird and enjoy the play of colour and texture.