Portrait of a Superb Fairywren

These joyful little birds are occasional visitors to the backyard during spring, stopping briefly before moving on to other parts. The young males dance along the fences playfully competing with each other as they prepare for the breeding season. Their vivid blue and deep black feathering are a welcome and pleasant surprise when they make their wonderful, albeit, far too brief stop. I have always found birds a fascinating subject and decided to put one of them on canvas. The dark frame heightens the dark's within the painting, containing the burst of colour while the orange flecks of undertone connects it with the muted red-brown of the canvas.

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My name is Michael Memete, I am a self taught Melbourne based artist inspired by the old masters, in particular those of the 17th century Dutch Golden Age. Each of my paintings is created using the highest quality materials possible, including paints I grind by hand as well as flax oil (“linseed” oil) that I have cleansed and prepared using time honoured methods. Each piece I create is a one off and though themes and objects may reappear I will never make copies of a previous work. I am my own harshest critic and believe that each piece must be of a certain level of quality before it leaves the studio and I can be comfortable asking somebody to buy it. Vanity, mortality, philosophy and wisdom are all themes I like to explore in my work and I aim to improve my craft with each painting I complete. It is my hope that there are people out there who would like to support me on this journey as I aspire to reach mastery and play a small part in restoring the beauty of traditional art in modern times.

Each piece comes with a hand signed certificate of authenticity upon purchase.

All of my works are signed, varnished, framed and ready to hang unless stated otherwise.

If you have any inquiries or If you would like to see a piece in the studio, please feel free to get in touch, I would be more than happy to hear from you. Thank you.

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No artworks may be reproduced without written consent of the artist.