Naughty Chaffinch - unframed

“Naughty Chaffinch” was inspired on a trip with my daughter to Emmett Hillside garden a National Trust site. This Edwardian estate stands at one of the highest points in Kent, looking over the Weald and was created in the late 19th century. It was a cold Spring morning and stopping for a moment to sit on a bench to eat our sandwiches, there were some chaffinches fluttering by a nearby tree. Chaffinches are small, beautifully coloured birds and quite bold and cheeky. I had never seen them up close before and It was fascinating to watch several of them playing in the sunshine as they flew to the ground, then up to the low branches of a tree and back again. I contrasted the colours of the chaffinch’s feathers, complemented by the wooden door backdrop and geranium flowers and leaves. Nature offers us the freedom and relief from our day to day lives, if only for a moment.  Studying birds is a great pastime and they will always be my inspiration.

Painted in oils on a thick edged canvas, it has a complex background of an old wooden door with decorative fixings. A small oil painting, rectangular, it would look lovely framed with a thick edged gold floater frame. It also looks great as part of a set (see other examples in the series); building a gallery wall of Little Bird paintings and prints in your home, or placing it as an individual piece in a prominent corner,