Sky blue sparrow, oil on canvas panel 30cm x 21cm (A4)
Today’s Artweeks theme is 'Degrees of Abstraction' and you can view the themed art trail here: https://youtu.be/5NEItemuqcE
I don’t consider myself to be an abstract painter, so I thought I’d use this opportunity to introduce to the second painting in my new bird series instead!
Populations of house sparrows across the UK have fallen from about 12 million pairs in the 1970s to between 6 and 7 million pairs today, with a greater reduction in urban and rural areas than in suburban ones. As I child I used to see whole flocks of them pecking for crumbs on the lawn after we had thrown out the bread we didn’t want, but I haven't seen many at all in recent years. I'm sure you have noticed the same.
On a positive note though, I have seen a few more in the last year, with several roosting in a nearby bush. Perhaps the lack of human activity caused by the pandemic has helped their numbers recover - or maybe they just prefer my new garden to the one in my old house!
What do you think?