Kingfisher

A sudden eruption of sapphire and copper shatters the mirror-like surface of the river as the kingfisher bursts upward, triumphant. Diamonds of water cascade from its iridescent plumage, catching the morning light in a momentary halo around its frantic, beating wings. Clamped securely in its dagger-like beak is a sliver of writhing mercury—a small minnow snatched from the dappled shallows just a heartbeat before. With a sharp, piercing whistle that slices through the quiet damp of the reeds, the airborne jewel arcs powerfully toward the sanctuary of the overhanging willows, leaving behind nothing but an expanding ring of ripples and the breathless awe of the wild.

Original available for purchase:

42 x 60 CM oil on stretched canvas. £375