Inspiration behind ‘Flamingo’s Friend’ Artwork

'Flamingo's Friend part one' was my first ever flamingo watercolour, the first of many. So why flamingos? Well, to be honest, I do have a fascination with Flamingos, I have painted three or four, I have flamingo shirts, I have illustrated a book that features one, I really just think they are cool birds. Those feathers, the neck, those legs, a crooked beak, a bird that has so many distinctive features that make for a great painting.

Back in 2020, when the world was going through Covid, I started to paint more, it was a way to forget about what was happening across the globe and really add some fun to a rather long lockdown in New Zealand. I love to create artwork that is different, fun and as some my say, 'Whimsical'. Each of my watercolours have a story to tell like most paintings or illustrations do - there is a story to this one.

"Audrey meet her friend on the sandy shores many moons ago.
Every summer they return to watch the sunset together."

Who is Audrey? The girl or the flamingo? Well I'll let you decide.

Audrey was in fact my Nana, she was such a happy person and loved to spoil her grandkids. 

For this artwork I really wanted to incorporate something with those iconic legs of the flamingo and the swing was the perfect idea. Imagine watching a sunset with a rather large feathered friend together on a swing, priceless.

The challenge with this painting was getting the pose, the neck and feathers just right. Its so easy to overpaint in watercolours and lose some of the magic that makes up those feathers. When you only have a few pink tones to work with - patience was key for this one. What I love about this artwork is the softness of the bird, the legs and the girl.

This idea continued onto another flamingo painting - part two. I like to think this continues on years later when the girl is an adult but still returns to meet her friend but this time she's relaxing in a hammock.