Nest

A blackbird made a nest in a woodstore on my allotment. I didn't discover it until one day when I was gardening near there.

Every time I bent down to weed the parent flew over my head to feed its chick. It must have been watching and waiting. All I felt was the draught from its wings and I heard the purring sound of the feathers beating together.

I left the nest until the chick had fledged but I then moved it in the autumn. Inside was a perfect blackbirds egg, one that hadn't hatched.

I kept that nest as it was so perfect. It was amazing to see how it had been formed around the birds body and all the materials it had used.
these are some recent collage and acrylic paintings that were inspired by that wonderful construction.

Painted with acrylics onto fabric that has been layered with wax capturing stems of lavender in the wax surface.

Painted onto watercolour paper using collage and acrylics and various things to make marks like oil pastels. Maps have been used in the collage layers.