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- ‘Kiting Kestrel’
‘Kiting Kestrel’
‘Kiting Kestrel’
Kestrels have always been one of my favourite birds of prey to watch. Here in the West Country, we are lucky to see them hovering over gorse-covered cliffs and rugged moorland, almost completely suspended in the air as they search for prey below.
Kestrels are particularly fascinating because they are able to hover almost effortlessly while hunting. Rather than rapidly beating their wings, they use the lift created by the wind to hold themselves in position, a behaviour known as kiting.
That moment of stillness against a moving landscape was the inspiration for this piece.
For ‘Kiting Kestrel’, I used a slightly modified gilding technique to create a two-tone gold silhouette of long, wild summer grasses. Look closely and you'll also find intricate speckles within the grasses, creating the feeling of tiny dancing motes glimmering in the light.
The kestrel itself is individually inked and painted onto the reverse of toughened glass before being gilded, using my traditional Verre-églomisé process. Once the artwork is complete, the glass is turned over to reveal the finished piece through the surface.
The artwork is then framed in a 45mm-deep bespoke frame, creating a space between the glass and the white backboard. This allows the kestrel and grasses to cast delicate shadows behind the artwork, giving the piece an almost three-dimensional quality.
In natural light, these shadows move and dance across the backboard as the light changes throughout the day. The gold also catches the light differently as you move around the piece, creating a wonderful sense of movement within an otherwise still image.
As evening falls, the 24ct gold leaf takes on another quality, beginning to radiate its own subtle luminosity.
Each piece I create is original and unique, made entirely by hand in my studio, from the first marks on the glass through to the painting, gilding and framing.
“Kiting Kestrel”
Framed dimensions: 1350 × 650 × 47mm
Weight: Approximately 15kg
Glass: 4mm toughened glass
Frame: Handmade solid ash frame finished with Little Greene Intelligent Eggshell paint
Hanging: Corded wire
UK delivery: Secure shipping to all UK addresses is included in the price.
Worldwide delivery: Please contact the studio for a delivery quotation.
If you'd like to know more about this artwork, discuss delivery, or simply have a question before purchasing, please get in touch with the studio. I'd be very happy to help.
Kestrels have always been one of my favourite birds of prey to watch. Here in the West Country, we are lucky to see them hovering over gorse-covered cliffs and rugged moorland, almost completely suspended in the air as they search for prey below.
Kestrels are particularly fascinating because they are able to hover almost effortlessly while hunting. Rather than rapidly beating their wings, they use the lift created by the wind to hold themselves in position, a behaviour known as kiting.
That moment of stillness against a moving landscape was the inspiration for this piece.
For ‘Kiting Kestrel’, I used a slightly modified gilding technique to create a two-tone gold silhouette of long, wild summer grasses. Look closely and you'll also find intricate speckles within the grasses, creating the feeling of tiny dancing motes glimmering in the light.
The kestrel itself is individually inked and painted onto the reverse of toughened glass before being gilded, using my traditional Verre-églomisé process. Once the artwork is complete, the glass is turned over to reveal the finished piece through the surface.
The artwork is then framed in a 45mm-deep bespoke frame, creating a space between the glass and the white backboard. This allows the kestrel and grasses to cast delicate shadows behind the artwork, giving the piece an almost three-dimensional quality.
In natural light, these shadows move and dance across the backboard as the light changes throughout the day. The gold also catches the light differently as you move around the piece, creating a wonderful sense of movement within an otherwise still image.
As evening falls, the 24ct gold leaf takes on another quality, beginning to radiate its own subtle luminosity.
Each piece I create is original and unique, made entirely by hand in my studio, from the first marks on the glass through to the painting, gilding and framing.
“Kiting Kestrel”
Framed dimensions: 1350 × 650 × 47mm
Weight: Approximately 15kg
Glass: 4mm toughened glass
Frame: Handmade solid ash frame finished with Little Greene Intelligent Eggshell paint
Hanging: Corded wire
UK delivery: Secure shipping to all UK addresses is included in the price.
Worldwide delivery: Please contact the studio for a delivery quotation.
If you'd like to know more about this artwork, discuss delivery, or simply have a question before purchasing, please get in touch with the studio. I'd be very happy to help.