Morning Light - Fantail Ed. 22 of 100

From an original acrylic painting by Marie-Claire Colyer.

SIZE: Image 36 x 55.4cm with a white border on A2 (42 x 59.4cm) paper

Limited Edition prints are embossed, signed and numbered and come with a certificate of authenticity.

Printed on Canson fine art paper (archival, 100% cotton, 210gsm for A4 and A3, 310gsm for A2) using fade-proof archival inks.

A fantail (Rhipidura fuliginosa) perched amongst pasture grass lit by sunlight. The Fantail is one of the most common and widely distributed native birds in New Zealand and is also found in Australia where it is called the Grey Fantail. Its tail contributes to its distinctive flight, twisting and turning in the air as it catches insects. It can often be found in forests, open scrubland and planted gardens.

An all-time favourite of mine, I photographed this fantail flitting about the fields as the sun crested the trees. I wanted to capture the spangles of light that flickered over the grass stalks and the moment of rest as the bird perched before fluttering away.

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Marie-Claire Colyer is an Australian artist and writer, creating photorealistic wildlife and nature inspired paintings and drawings, plus poetry and novels. Many of her artworks can be purchased as fine art prints.

Marie-Claire's artwork and writing have been published in magazines, journals and newspapers both in print internationally and online. With artworks hung in private collections and several art awards to her name, she has been exhibited in shows in Australia and overseas. Her work is licensed internationally for calendars and décor.

Influenced by a childhood divided between Sydney and a vineyard in the Upper Hunter Valley, engagement with nature forged her desire to depict and describe wildlife. This she has done faithfully since first beginning to draw and write as a young child.

To quote Fiona Edmonds-Dobrijevich, (lecturer and artist), ‘Her precocious talent for realist drawing was evident at a young age, but she has sustained this focus and skill within her art practice throughout her adult life… Her spectacular photorealistic drawings are detailed, layered and textural, giving a real sense of the threatened species she depicts.'

Self-taught, it is through dedicated practice that Marie-Claire Colyer has learned to write and to illustrate wildlife. And it is a subject matter that will remain close to her heart.

Artist’s Statement

‘The natural world is fascinating and precious. It is both enduring and fragile. Wildlife art can be a powerful way to create environmental awareness. It is through connecting with emotion that people act. If I inspire one person to protect what surrounds us, then my art is worthwhile.’

Marie-Claire Colyer