Oil, acrylic and gold leaf on wooden panel. 11x10x2cm
In this painting, the Winter Wren is elevated from the margins of the hedgerow into a place of quiet sovereignty. Though one of Britain’s smallest birds, she carries an ancient power—an embodiment of the old paradox that true authority does not come from size or force, but from spirit, endurance, and voice.
She wears a pagan crown woven with twigs, blossoms, and antler-like forms as a deliberate reference to the myth of the Wren as the King of Birds—a Celtic folktale in which the smallest creature outwits all others through intelligence and determination. Here, that myth is re-imagined: this is not a king, but a queen. Her crown honours feminine wisdom, cyclical knowledge, and the overlooked strength of the subtle and the unseen. The antler motifs echo ancient woodland deities and the regenerative power of nature, while the tiny flowers speak of life persisting even in the depth of winter.
The Winter Wren itself is a symbol of resilience, secrecy, and sacred song. Often hidden in shadowed undergrowth, yet capable of an astonishingly loud and complex call, she represents the voice that rises from silence—the inner truth that sings even when the world feels dark or dormant. In winter folklore, the wren was associated with endings and beginnings, death and rebirth, marking the turning of the year and the promise of renewal.
The painting is created on a hexagon-shaped panel, a form rich in natural and spiritual symbolism. The hexagon mirrors structures found throughout the natural world—honeycomb, crystals, molecular bonds—shapes that speak of harmony, balance, and divine order. It also subtly references sacred geometry, suggesting that this small bird exists within a larger cosmic pattern. The hexagon becomes a vessel, framing the wren as both earthly creature and sacred icon, suspended between the wild and the divine.
Rendered with reverence and intimacy, this Winter Wren is not merely observed—she is enthroned. A reminder that power often resides in the quietest places, that femininity can be sovereign, and that even the smallest beings carry ancient, sacred crowns.