Oil, acrylic and spray paint on canvas with hand painted wooden  frame, 44x44x3cm.
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This work depicts a falling starling rendered in hyper-realistic detail, suspended against a field of fluorescent yellow. The unnatural intensity of the background deliberately contrasts with the fragile, organic form of the bird. Neon pigments — synthetic, industrial, and unmistakably man-made — function both as a visual alarm and a symbolic environment, reflecting the artificial pressures imposed on the natural world.
Starlings are widely perceived as abundant and resilient, yet their populations have declined by approximately 80% in recent decades due to habitat loss, pollution, and human intervention. By isolating the bird mid-fall, the painting captures a moment of quiet crisis — a species slipping from visibility under the weight of assumptions and neglect. The work invites viewers to reconsider what we take for granted, and to recognise how easily familiarity can mask vulnerability.