Life is for living a bird once told me…

‘New Zealand Fantail – Morning Light’ painting by Marie-Claire Colyer

Like the soft fall of snow in the mountains the downy caress of feathers upon the sky invades my consciousness. A flutter at the window brings me to view the being that flits about the pane like some will of the wisp of sunlight. My friend the Piwakawaka is there beckoning me to leave the drudgery of pencil lines and frustrated streaks of rubber to dither about in its domain. I smile at its antics, the strident call disparaging my attempts at living. Life it says is about now, blue sky dripping with honeyed light, manuka bowing to the heavy drapery of fern fronds and the dizzying chirr of cicadas saturating the air. Life is oneness and energy and a belly full of insects of course. I laugh as it pirouettes and dips its head as if taking a bow. Yes, life is for living.

From ‘Island of Feathers’
A collection of lyric writings by Marie-Claire Colyer

For more information on this painting and to view it in progress please go to my Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/marieclairecolyer/

‘Kereru’ Painting – New Zealand’s Last Pigeon

‘Kereru’ painting by Marie-Claire Colyer

Once it was the Moa and New Zealand’s pigeons that ate the large forest fruits whole, digesting the pulp and dispersing seeds. Now all that is left is the Kereru, the last pigeon. Without the Kereru, New Zealand’s native podocarp-broad-leaf forests would no longer contain the diverse range of species they do. Among others iconic to low-land forests, the Karaka, Puriri, Nikau and Cabbage Tree would be absent from regenerating areas.

It could have happened. The Kereru is now classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN red list of threatened species (http://www.iucnredlist.org/). For many years it was Endangered. Like the Moa, New Zealand’s extinct flightless bird, the Kereru was good to eat and its feathers were of use. Now the main pressure is introduced predators. It is just one in a long list of birds confronted by predators it has not evolved to cope with.

For more information on this beautiful pigeon go to http://www.doc.govt.nz/conservation/native-animals/birds/land-birds/nz-pigeon-kereru/

For more information on this painting and to view it in progress please go to my Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/marieclairecolyer/ or to purchase please go to my contact page.