Kingfishers are without question one of the most dramatic and memorable birds one can encounter in the UK. They appear, jewel-like, in their turquoise, blue, and russet finery amidst deep green streamside shadows where they wait, motionless, before plunging dart-like into the water to retrieve a minnow. I have never been especially fond of painting action, finding the moments just before and just after an event more evocative to paint, where the viewer can infer from posture and tension the coiled energy of impending motion or the immediate aftermath of the same, as in this study.

I am fortunate to have observed wild Kingfishers while staying with my friends Simon and Monique Gudgeon, Owners/operators/founders of Sculpture by the Lakes in Dorchester, Dorset. Whether or not I am quick enough to shoot any good photo references, I always feel privleged to see these birds, like I have just been allowed a peek behind the curtain at something miraculous and special.