Devotional Relic - The Starling 🔴 SOLD

Acrylic, ink, fluorescent paint  (that glows by blacklight!) and gold leaf on wood, 2.5x3.5 inches. 
Once numbering in the millions across the UK, the starling has suffered one of the most dramatic population declines of any common British bird, its vast murmurations becoming an increasingly rare sight within the modern landscape. In this devotional relic, the starling is elevated into the visual language of a saint or sacred witness, honouring a species whose beauty has become so familiar that it is often overlooked.
The fractured gold halo reflects both sanctity and collapse, a divine emblem cracked by environmental decline and human expansion. The scattered stars surrounding the bird symbolise fading voices and disappearing presences, echoing the gradual silencing of one of Britain’s most iconic birdsongs. Gold leaf feathers drift like fragments of memory or falling constellations, reinforcing the sense of disappearance woven throughout the piece.
Despite this tension, the starling still radiates with iridescent blues and cosmic tones, reminding us that even the most common creatures can carry something celestial within them. The fluorescent pink aura acts as a contemporary interruption to the sacred imagery.