Dawn Blossoms

Watercolor & 24-ct gold leaf on paper, 22 x 22 cm, £550

Almond and plum blossoms are shown here, along with a Eurasian roller. This beautiful blue bird is a summer visitor to Southern Europe and Iran, wintering in Africa. I was born in Africa myself, and I now live in Europe on the border between England and Wales. I’m fascinated by these colorful birds that migrate such a long way, and I’m often drawn to paint them. The ‘golden five’ are the hoopoe, roller, golden oriole, bee-eater and kingfisher—identified by a birdwatcher friend as the five most colorful birds that you might hope to see around the Mediterranean in the summer. This story, and a painting of the 14th-century Vyssi Brod European Gothic-style altarpiece sent to me years ago on a postcard from Prague, was the very first inspiration for my series of paintings with gold leaf.

Detail