White Heron
'Heron Me'. 2025 - New Zealand white heron / kotuku
Oil on solid timber block, 85mm w x 400mm h x 40 mm deep. Ready to hang.
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Kotuku or white heron is a rare and solitary bird. Usually seen just by itself, unless it is mating season. They like their own company, so I depicted this girl admiring her own reflection.
I chose a long skinny wood block to reflect the bird's length, especially when they're standing upright with the neck extended.
The timber block was upcycled. It was 'dressed' by my husband (the rough bits planed off), then prepared with several layers of primer and then a few layers of gesso before the oil paint got 'spooned on' with a knife.
I adore painting shore birds, capturing the essence of an ordinary day on the Inlet, with the wildlife, the tides and the light all working in harmony as it does in nature.