Acrylic on canvas, 12 x 16"

This kingfisher painting is on a stretched canvas, painted round the sides, with a string on the back, so it is ready to hang as it is, or can be framed if you prefer.

A painting for bird lovers and nature lovers. A kingfisher makes a nice painting subject because it always feels lucky to see one. They don't seem to stay still for long, but this one gave me a clear view for just long enough to take a reference photo for the painting. They are one of the UK's most brightly coloured birds so they seem quite exotic and special. Their colours shimmer like a jewel in the landscape.

As it was autumn, most of the leaves had fallen, so it was easy to see the brightly coloured bird in the tree. The branches were covered in lichen which made them look more interesting than if they were just bare. I liked the composition which the criss cross of the branches made and the different colours of the trees behind.

I often think that nature is the best artist and I didn't feel that many artistic changes needed to be made when copying from the photo. It looked so beautiful to me that I wanted the painting to look as close to the real thing as I could. I enjoyed studying every beautiful shape and colour in order to represent the bird in a realistic way. The painting is a record of a treasured snapshot in time.

We were staying in Kingfisher Hut in East Harling, Norfolk when I photographed this bird. It is a little holiday hut for 2 people by a fishing lake. We have stayed there a few times because we like it so much. The facilities are simple but comfortable. It is the location which is important. The hut's veranda is right next to the lake and is a perfect place for my husband to do fishing and for me to do drawing and painting.

It is so nice to sit quietly immersed in nature and let time slow down. In my normal life I often have a horrible feeling of time moving faster and faster. Humans seem to impose a frantic rush on one another somehow. In most places it feels like humans rule the world, but when you sit still and quietly here, not disturbing the wildlife, it comes to life and the place feels owned by nature. Birds in the sky and in the water reeds. Pond skaters skitting across the surface of the water. Dragonflies flying just above it. Fish jumping and sploshing back into the water. You start to notice all the sights and sounds of nature.

You can watch a timelapse video of the painting process on my YouTube channel here