From The Ashes

Oil, acrylic and spray paint on canvas, 100x100x4cm (2017)
This piece is of the endangered 'Secretary Bird', and this piece is featured in Louise McNaught's best selling book 'Survival' which was published worldwide in 2018 by Big Picture Press (see additional images). This bird is simply stunning with its long quills protruding from its head in a crest, to the long legs it has making the average Secretary Bird around 5ft tall. 
The Secretary Bird (also techinally a type of Eagle/Bird of Prey) is symbolic of pride due to its grandiose appearance. Its a shame to think this numbers of this beautiful bird are falling, which is echoed in the upward drips, but there is hope as a lot of Secretary Bird now live in protected National Parks in Africa, and so the bird has been set against a warm red background to draw attention to it, and to represent it rising from the ashes like a phoenix, fighting back in its fight for survival.....