Dimensions: 42cm x 30cm

Encaustic and cold wax on wooden panel

‘I will show you where the morning light sparkles’ - this is what I imagine the azure kingfishers would say to me if they could talk, as I follow them down the river at sunrise.

Azure Kingfishers are tiny colourful birds that are native to Australia's east coast. At dawn and dusk, they can be seen perching in the trees above waterways, their exquisite blue and orange feathers lit by the first and last rays of sun. Although they're very shy, they're a joy to watch and to photograph.

'The Morning Light Sparkles' is part of the 2024-5 Wild Coast series of original encaustic artworks, created to highlight the need to strengthen international nature laws to protect native species at a time of rapid biodiversity loss.

This artwork uses a recycled wooden panel as its substrate, which is layered and carved with hardened hot and cold wax, resins and raw pigments. It is archival quality and prepped with picture hardware, ready to hang.