The Birds Series/Metamorphosis XV Collage

This series of 15 mythical birds explores dimensions and space using collage and painting. I chose a bird as my subject as it is often associated with evolution. The bird in this series is the archetypial wading bird. The birds' long thin legs act as frames revealing dimensions and other worlds within the picture, sometimes interiors which can become part of the bird. I created The Birds Series/ Metamorphosis by drawing a bird onto card and making a cut-out or stencil of a bird. This stencil was placed on a limited selection of layered paper , mostly magazines, newspapers and my paintings. Sometimes I used the negative shape or out-line of the stencil to repeat parts of the bird or distort it. I paid particular attention to positioning colours and designs to create a mystical environment for this newly arrived creature. I played to the strengths of lucky chances, for example, a floating blood red sofa where the bird’s body is and continues into the beak (see Metamorphoses XVIII). There are many more examples of these lucky breaks so please see how many you can spot. Watercolour and black ink painted onto white background and sometimes onto magazines gives vitality and spontaneity. I cut shapes from my existing paintings whenever needed.