Oil on canvas, stretched and ready to hang.

Signed on the front.

This artwork comes with an external frame

I absolutely love these little birds. Their striking black and white markings, fluorescent red bill, ear-spot and rump makes them a prefect subject to paint. Apparently they are shy, unobtrusive little birds who prefer their own company.

What drew me to paint this bird was not only its beauty but the way its reflection gives a contemporary sense to the painting.

I love working on detail and have enjoyed spending hours capturing the specific plumage markings and playing with the tones in the water and the bird’s reflection in order to ensure the painting looks realistic, cohesive and not disjointed.

With the assistance of my Facebook friends we named this pretty bird “Rudy” short for Rudolph as the painting was completed 10 days before Christmas.

The Red- eared Firetail is a species of finch unique to the forests and coastal thickets of south Western Australia. Males and females appear to be similar. They are much less gregarious than other species of finches and can be elusive.

Thank you to wildlife photographer Judy Walker for graciously providing the reference photo used as inspiration for this birdlife oil painting.