Shy Approach
Budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus)
Size 24.5 cm x 34.6 cm
Acrylic on Arches paper
SOLD
This painting was inspired by numerous expeditions on Stuart Highway between Darwin and Adelaide.
The sky is vast, the heat interminable and the desert seems hostile to life and yet these birds can thrive.
On one memorable occasion, a flock of budgerigars settled into a tree above my position in the shade as we rested near our motorbikes. Immediately, these tiny birds proved impossible to discern in the foliage as leaves rippled and twisted in the heat-shimmering breeze. Despite their incessant vocalisations, I could not see the flock in the dancing light and shadows.
I gained a new appreciation for camouflage.
Dr Megan Spiers 