-
techno toddler, fashionista
My art table today, where I’m working on two miniatures for this year’s Sydney Royal. They are acrylic on Hahnemuhle paper, postcard size to stay under the 100cm-square worked area limit. I’m using the same colour palette for both paintings but chose to emphasise cool colours for the boy with a tonally heavy background to draw attention to his hands and his concentrated expression. Looser brushstrokes and lighter hues evoke the enthusiasm of a little girl’s impromptu fashion parade in the second miniature.
-
zebra finches
Brisk Zebra Finches (Taeniopygia guttata) Size 20 cm x 15 cm Oil on canvas board SOLD This small painting was inspired by an afternoon birdwatching near Orange, New South Wales. A noisy flock of Zebra Finches had gathered in trees near a railway line. These birds are gregarious and form a lifelong bond between pairs. On this particular day, the birds had their plumage puffed to ward off midwinter chills. I kept the brushstrokes loose and the background hazy to imply a light breeze rustling the branch. The painting was acquired at exhibition by a private collector. I visited the Darling Point home where it…
-
flock bronzewing
Desert Flight Flock Bronzewing (Phaps histrionica) Size 51 cm x 20 cm Acrylic on canvas SOLD Outback Australia is the definition of vast. Within its impressive range, the Mitchell Grasslands are amazing. Characterised by open grassy plains with few rivers and gorges, the Mitchell Grass Downs bioregion extends from central Queensland into the Northern Territory and is part of Australia’s pastoral heritage. It takes a long time to drive there from the coast but it’s worth the effort. I have travelled through Mitchell Grass country from Longreach to Muttaburra and Hughenden, and the inlier region of Mount Isa. The scenery is awe-inspiring. As their name…
-
red-backed fairy-wrens
Harmony in Green Red-backed Fairy-wrens (Malurus melanocephalus) Size 91.4 cm x 91.4 cm (36 in x 36 in) Acrylic on canvas SOLD This painting was inspired by birdwatching in far north Queensland, where verdant hills and rainforest canopy enfold a patchwork of pasture, cane fields and banana plantations. A family group of Red-backed Fairy-wrens had taken up residence at our property at Camp Creek. Their favoured patch was sheltered from heavy monsoon rain by a windbreak of native rainforest species, such as Flindersia bourjotiana, and long grass under a tangled sprawl of vines, shady citrus and lemonade trees. I have always loved…
-
amulet illustration
For several days, I have immersed my art table in found objects as part of the creative process to develop an amulet design for a fantasy novel. I use found objects as references for form and colour, observing the way light and shadow caress the surface. Handling the real object enhances my ability to portray it more convincingly in illustration. For an accompanying knife sketch, I borrowed a leather-handled US Army knife to see how the leather wraps the handle, observed the light reflecting on its surfaces and hefted its weight. A little realism is essential for viewers to suspend disbelief. Known realities assist the eye…
-
eastern yellow robin
Dazzling Eastern Yellow Robin (Eopsaltria australis) Size 12 cm x 14 cm Mixed media on Arches paper SOLD This painting formed part of a triptych of Australian robins, including Eastern Yellow Robin, Red-capped Robin and Pink Robin. It was originally partnered with the red-capped robin as a diptych but when clients purchased the framed pair at exhibition, they immediately commissioned a third robin to balance the display when hung. Accurate representation of the ‘jizz’ or general appearance and behaviour of birds is best informed by birdwatching. While camping in the Watagans National Park, New South Wales, I had the pleasure of observing an…
-
pink robin
Splendid Pink Robin (Petroica rodinogaster) Size 13.5 cm x 11.5 cm Mixed media on Arches paper SOLD This painting formed part of a triptych of Australian robins, including Eastern Yellow Robin, Red-capped Robin and Pink Robin. It was especially commissioned by clients who had purchased the original diptych at exhibition and needed a third robin to balance their placement of these paintings in their Sydney home. Pink Robins are only found in south-eastern woodland of Australia, usually in dense vegetation, cool eucalypt forests and rainforest. The male robin feeds his partner as she incubates and broods their offspring.
-
red-capped robin
Radiant Red-Capped Robin (Petroica goodenovii) Size 12 cm x 14 cm Mixed media on Arches paper SOLD This painting formed part of a triptych of Australian robins, including Eastern Yellow Robin, Red-capped Robin and Pink Robin. It was originally partnered with the yellow robin as a diptych but when clients purchased the framed pair at exhibition, they immediately commissioned a third robin to balance the display when hung. The Red-capped Robin is the smallest of Australia’s red robins. Sightings are particularly lovely on a dull winter’s day when their bright colouration and spritely movement enlivens the woodland.
-
black-shouldered kite
To Observe with a Steady Gaze Black-shouldered Kite (Elanus axillaris) Size 25.5 cm x 30.5 cm (10 in x 12 in) Oil on raw linen, stretched, unframed SOLD This painting was inspired by several Black-shouldered Kites that I observed hunting along the Sturt Highway, Hay Plain. The birds perch on fenceposts and anything vertical as they search for prey. Their crimson gaze is striking and direct. Their habitual restlessness is focused and watchful despite the gusting wind and incessant swirling dust. I like painting on raw linen. It has a strong natural texture that adds to the painted surface. Linear fibres encourage the viewer’s…
-
laughing kookaburra
Peaceful to Behold Laughing Kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae) Size 14 cm x 16 cm Acrylic on Arches paper SOLD A private commission reflecting the deep, sentimental appreciation for kookaburras felt by the client’s wife and her family. Background landscape references for this painting were completed while camping in Mount Kaputar National Park, New South Wales. I grew up listening to the raucous calls of Blue-Winged Kookaburras in the Northern Territory. I have gradually developed an affection for the renowned laughter of their southern cousins. For Blue-winged Kookaburras, it is the female who has a barred tail. For Laughing Kookaburras, both females and males have a barred…
Dr Megan Spiers 