Acrylic on canvas, stretched and ready to hang.

Signed on the front.

Its Own White Image was inspired by a poem titled Thirty Egrets. It was written by a famous Australian Poet Judith Wright (1915 – 2000). Judith wrote about the beauty of these birds surrounded by trees and water in an eloquent short verse.

“I saw a pool, jet-black and mirror-still. Beyond, the slender paperbarks stood crowding; each on its own white image looked its fill”.

And just like Judith seeing a mirror still pool, I’d noticed these bare branches sitting high above a tree canopy. For months I was fascinated by the shape and would admire them each time I cycled home from work along the Narrabeen bike trail.

Then one day I noticed three Egrets perched on the branches against a blue sky. I cycled home, collected my camera, and made a speedy trip back. I hoped and hoped the Egrets would still be there. Two had flown away, but one bird waited for my return. It was if the Egret was rewarding me for my appreciation of the beauty held by nature. I captured the bird’s own white image resting on sculptured branches and framed against a sea of blue.