75x55cm oil on canvas. Finalist in 2022 wollumbin art prize.

Billy, an adult male Kestrel, was found by a mechanic, wedged between the radiator of a car. He must have been sometime beforehand and was surviving off the moths and insects caught behind the headlights of the car. He was passed on to a specialist wildlife career and although he had a significant head wound, was extremely low in weight and lost one eye, he has since made a great recovery. Because of the nature of his injury, he is vulnerable to larger birds of prey and cannot be released back into the wild. He will live out his days as a permanent resident in the wildlife carer’s care.

During my time with Billy I noted how calm and gentle he was. He had a calm assuredness to him but also a very strong pull to his carer on who he now relies. His long skinny legs looked so giant and peculiar as he walked around the table, inspecting the objects and pecking at my father’s home grown mandarines.

Once I was back home, I combined my reference photos of Billy with my observational notes and re-created the still-life scene at home.

A fun fact: each day I returned to the studio the onion had changed position, sprouting towards the ceiling more and more each day! I had to weigh it down with plates to keep it in position.

75x55cm oil on canvas. Finalist in 2022 wollumbin art prize.

Billy, an adult male Kestrel, was found by a mechanic, wedged between the radiator of a car. He must have been sometime beforehand and was surviving off the moths and insects caught behind the headlights of the car. He was passed on to a specialist wildlife career and although he had a significant head wound, was extremely low in weight and lost one eye, he has since made a great recovery. Because of the nature of his injury, he is vulnerable to larger birds of prey and cannot be released back into the wild. He will live out his days as a permanent resident in the wildlife carer’s care.

During my time with Billy I noted how calm and gentle he was. He had a calm assuredness to him but also a very strong pull to his carer on who he now relies. His long skinny legs looked so giant and peculiar as he walked around the table, inspecting the objects and pecking at my father’s home grown mandarines.

Once I was back home, I combined my reference photos of Billy with my observational notes and re-created the still-life scene at home.

A fun fact: each day I returned to the studio the onion had changed position, sprouting towards the ceiling more and more each day! I had to weigh it down with plates to keep it in position.

75x55cm oil on canvas.

This painting was my response to the recent NSW mouse plague and the heartache I felt on hearing that second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs) were being considered for large-scale agricultural use in NSW. Many Australian studies have found that SGARs lead to secondary poisonings of non-target species such as fish, reptiles and birds-of-prey, like these two kestrels, who ironically play a vital role in rodent control. SGARs are banned in many other countries and are currently banned from large-scale agricultural use in Australia. However they are readily available from most home-improvement stores for domestic use.

I have faith that people would use suitable alternatives to SGARs if they knew they harmed native birds. But many are unaware and it seems human nature renders us ignorant of something's value until we become familiar with it. So by painting kestrels in a domestic setting, with ornate vases and home-grown-produce, I hope the viewer starts to see the value and vital importance of our native birds-of-prey. I also hope to educate and discourage others from using SGARs.

Billy and Coco, the two kestrels painted were both rescued wild birds receiving care with a wildlife carer. I thought the way Coco hid her precious prey with her wings was a fitting illustration for how we as humans need to value and protect our birds-of-prey with equal enthusiasm. Coco has now been released back into the wild. Billy unfortunately will had lost an eye and will remain in full-time care.

I have also included mandarines from my father's garden and our own home-grown oranges that I dehydrated this Winter, to symbolise the need to preserve our native animals.

One simple act by us can have huge consequences for others, particularly our animal species, which I believe we have an obligation to nurture and protect.

75x55cm oil on canvas

Portia is an Australian bird of prey. She came into care as a fledgling found in the Brisbane CBD. She has since been released and by all reports is doing very well on her own.

55x75cm oil on canvas

Fergus the Australian Brown Goshawk was found on the ground as a chick. He had fallen out of the nest during a storm. He sustained neurological damage and is now in permanent care at O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat and is being trained as a free flying education bird.

75x55cm oil on canvas

Billy the kestrel was found by a mechanic, wedged between the radiator of a car. Though he sustained a significant head wound and lost one eye, he has since made a great recovery in care. Because of the nature of his injury, he is vulnerable to larger birds of prey and cannot be released back into the wild.

He is now a permanent resident in a wildlife carer’s home. Because Billy is relatively dependent on humans and used to their presence, he was quite calm with me around. Delightfully, I was able to capture the contented, puffed-up posture that is rarely observed in wild raptors when humans are around.

75x55cm oil on canvas

Working with wild birds in care has been a new experience for me. The majority of my work to date has been with captive bred parrots. Raptors (particularly wild raptors) are a completely different experience. I've enjoyed observing the similarities and differences in their body language compared to parrots, particularly in relation to their eyesight, attention spans and use of their feet.

Rocky was captive bred as a free flying education bird at O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat. However, owls in general are one of the most susceptible species to bait poisonings. One Australian study found 97% of deceased owls had anticoagulant rodenticides detected in their livers.

When photographing wild birds in care, I have to be very conscious of not overwhelming them or desensitising them. Ideally, human contact is kept to a minimum so I work quickly, keep my distance and work within a small window of opportunity to correct the lighting or camera settings. The photographs that result are completely at the will of the individual bird. I then take the images home and devise a composition based around what glimpse of personality the bird offered to me that day.

150 x 110cm oil on canvas available from Gallery One.

Rocky was captive bred as a free flying education bird at O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat. However, owls in general are one of the most susceptible species to bait poisonings. One Australian study found 97% of deceased owls had anticoagulant rodenticides detected in their livers.