Image size 28 x 46cm

Pastel on pastelmat paper

Where I live in the Grampians National Park one of our most common bird species is the crimson rosella. Chatty and very friendly birds, they live usually in small family groups with the male and female being almost' identical in plumage. The brilliant feathering develops gradually over a two year period from a blotchy green on immature birds to the brilliant crimson and blue of the adults.

This particular bird often visits my studio window where he sits chirruping happily in the hope I might provide him with a nibble of millet seeds.

I am uncertain just how he felt about the tiny, misty rain droplets that were falling on and around him at this time but speaking personally, I was entranced by how they adhered to his plumage, lending a jewel like effect on his already breathtaking feathering. Depicting these microscopic embellishments was a real test for my skills as a pastel artists but in the end patience and fierce determination to do him justice won the day.....or at least I hope it did.