Dr Megan Spiers

Red-capped Robin (Petroica goodenovii)

inspiration

The Red-capped Robin appears radiant in the smoky-grey green of mallee country.

Travelling along the border of Murray-Sunset National Park, northwestern Victoria, I couldn’t resist tracking a Red-capped Robin through craggy shrubs and fallen timber. When it finally alighted on a barbed wire fence, I knew I had inspiration for several paintings. The ideas coalesced into this piece and two later paintings – “Red-capped Robin at Rest” and “Little Sentinel” – which both sold at exhibition, November 2011.

This painting formed a pair with the Eastern Yellow Robin, titled “Dazzling.”

Both paintings were acquired by a private collector at my exhibition in the Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney, November 2009. Shortly afterwards, he commissioned another painting – portrait of a Pink Robin titled “Splendid” – to create a matching set of three.

artist’s process

• I covered the original pencil drawing in masking fluid before applying a watercolour wash
• I chose acrylic for the bird to add greater depth of colour and form