Andy Hoggins - Superb Fairy Wren, Male - Unitika

Superb Fairy Wren, Male - Unitika
Original pencil drawing
Framed 43 x 44cm

with thanks to Rachel Harper for the photographic reference.

Artist's Statement- A Fleeting Glimpse
An exhibition of small to medium size birds found in Tasmania/Lutruwita. This body of work depicts small moments captured in time, our moments with the little creatures that we share life with. To many of us, birds are of keen interest...their beauty, their colours, their ability to create a sense of wonder.

Throughout the creation of these 16 artworks, it has become apparent to me that birds have been depicted in art since the dawn of human life. Their colours, courting rituals, and their ability to fly have intrigued us. To create an accurate artwork of a bird in modern day, an artist will generally call on photography as a reference. Photography allows for the creation of a more accurate depiction of a species.

I discovered that the bird photographers in Tasmania are laying an amazing foundation for traditional art creation. Their work involves embarking on incredibly difficult treks into Tasmania’s remote wilderness to capture the photos I’ve referenced for this series.

Each work in this exhibit has grown from a photograph taken by a selection of extremely talented and  knowledgeable Tasmanian photographers, and faithfully recreated in polychromos artist pencil. Like them, I wanted to devote my developed skills and my style to accurately depict how I see the little creatures that give me that sense of wonder and intrigue.

My son and I have formed a solid knowledge of the movements of the tiny birds that surround our home.
Fleeting glimpses of birds are mostly all we see. But it’s made me appreciate how special these smaller
moments in time are. Not only have I been lucky enough to catch fleeting glimpses of beauty in bird life, but this experience has provided me with the opportunity to expand this, and to really savour the fleeting glimpses of beauty in time with my own family and friends. If one looks for these special moments they are there to tell us all that life is, and can be, more than a fleeting glimpse. It's an accumulation of these fleeting
glimpses and moments that create an enriched and memorable life.