ABOUT

I was inspired to create this painting after reading about the plight of blackbirds in southeast England. This much-loved garden bird has been the topic of folklore and culture for centuries. It’s inspired countless nursery rhymes, stories and popular music, like the Beatles song of the same name.

Now, though, the mosquito-borne Usutu virus is wiping out the blackbird population at an alarming rate. It has been doing so since it was first detected in the UK in 2020.
According to research, the virus originated in South Africa and has existed in mainland Europe for around 30 years. It has spread because native mosquitoes in the UK can now survive the milder winters. This situation has been linked to climate change.

This painting started out as a straightforward painting of a blackbird in a field. However, I soon decided to give it a darker, more Gothic look. I studied photographs and anatomical drawings of bird skeletons to add the ghostly-looking bones beneath. I wanted this to have the look of an X-ray.

This was done to symbolise the precarious balance between life and death. Hopefully, it highlights the very real plight affecting these beautiful birds. It also reminds us that we could so easily lose them.

I added the burning sky in reference to global warming and the climate crisis affecting us all. For reference, I painted from photos of wildfires which have sadly become increasingly frequent in recent years.