Description
“If ever there were birds that enjoy taunting photographers, it’s the Hartlaub’s Turacos – they are the masters of hide and seek. You hear them first – that unmistakable croaky chuckle echoing through the forest canopy – and then, just when you’re certain you’ve pinpointed their perch, they vanish behind a convenient curtain of leaves. You inch closer, camera poised, heart hopeful… only to catch the flick of a tail or the flash of crimson wings as they glide away laughing.
They seem to take perverse delight in this little game – always there, yet never quite in view – certainly barely long enough for you to raise your camera, focus and click! I’ve spent hours craning my neck skyward, sun in my eyes, muttering things that would make even a hornbill blush, while the turacos gurgle their amusement from somewhere above.
The setting in this painting is, admittedly, a complete fabrication – those coconuts are nothing more than artistic mischief. Hartlaub’s Turacos are not found near the coast; they’re highland royalty, preferring mist-draped forests to palm-fringed beaches. But the colours, the texture, and that air of leafy concealment – that’s pure Hartlaub. Hidden, gleaming, impossible to photograph, and absolutely worth the chase.”
A humorous insight into a colourful and playful watercolour by award-winning Kenyan artist Karen Laurence-Rowe who has won the overall top award at the David Shepherd Wildlife Artist of the Year Exhibition in London twice, and continues to excel in her field.
