Soft Pastel on Clairfontaine Pastelmat (1100 × 540mm)

Delighted to have won Highly Commended (Second) in the 2020 Purely Pastel national exhibition in Dunedin.

JUDGES' COMMENTS
"A strong eye-catching painting. Tuis are popular subject matter for artists and that makes it harder to do something that is different and original. This format and close up makes me feel like I better duck out of the way but the opportunity to be able to study the beauty of a tui draws me back in. The play between blurred and sharp rendering gives an optical quality of movement and that point of difference is what made us all weak at the knees."

Tuis are undeniably the boss in the New Zealand native bird world, hence the title. You will understand if you've witnessed a tui flying in and bossing out the other birds from 'their' tree! I usually like to paint from my own reference photography, but when I saw a photo by fellow artist Melissa Boardman, it just spoke to me... thank you Melissa for allowing me to use your beautiful photo as a reference! I had been visualising a series of paintings evolving to show the movement of birds in flight, pastel being a perfect medium to show this with its blendability and softness.

This Original Artwork has Sold

OPEN EDITION PRINTS AND ART CARDS AVAILABLE
(Prints signed by the Artist with a Certificate of Authenticity)

• GICLEE PRINTS - Fine Art Paper Prints are printed with high-end Giclee Print Technology, on Ilford 270gsm archival paper 100% smooth cotton rag

• CANVAS GICLEE PRINTS - Printed on a premium 420gsm cotton/poly blend canvas., durable and UV protected (stretched on a 35mm box frame handcrafted in New Zealand)

• FRAMING OPTIONS (see below - when ordering please specify your frame colour choice at checkout).
  Carefully curated museum-standard frames - made of solid timber. Sustainably sourced in the highest quality materials. Finished to perfection with bevel-cut mats, taped backs and suitable hanging hardware included. Made to protect for decades.

• Bespoke frames - There are so many framing options! Please feel free to contact me if you have a particular frame and size in mind

• Freight within New Zealand is FREE. If you are ordering from overseas a quote will be provided.

• Please allow 2-3 weeks for delivery