Acrylic by Jan Phethean SWAc
Valley Of Birds
Jan Phethean
Nature and wildlife have always been a passion of mine and an inherent part of my painting practice. I developed a fascination with ancient field systems before I moved to Cornwall and field systems still form part of my work.
I have a small grassy field on a cliff which was devoid of life when I first arrived in the spring of 2003 and I missed the sound of the dawn chorus. I set out to change that. In the intervening years trees have been planted and sheltered habitats for wildlife created.
The field became a source of inspiration not only for the creativity of wild gardening, but also for my painting practice. I saw how inextricably birds are linked to the shape of the landscape they inhabit. The trees that shelter and feed them are a part of their very being and I found a way to express this through composition and form in my work. I begin each painting with a complete landscape, which the birds and trees slowly inhabit, just like my field.
Acrylic on Board
50x50cm
Image size 30x30cm
Framed in white painted moulded wooden frame