Little Budgie has a bath at the tea party.
As a child I always kept birds. They have more personality and spirit than most pets. You might never know a bird is sick until they just fall of their perch one day. In this little painting I continue on with the themes that fascinate me, the intersection of nature and the domestic environment and our personal relationships with the past, our loved ones and our keepsakes. Budgies are a a beloved pet in many homes in Australia. In arid regions the presence of large flocks is a vital clue to the presence of water. In central desert regions they can often be found in plague proportions during times of abundance, as such they are often seen as a symbol of hope, connection and shared knowledge. My little Budgies are depicted inside the home, often perched on porcelain tea cup. The tea cup is itself a multilayered symbol of polite society, femininity and colonialism.