Name: Gossip in the Green
SKU: PKLR04
Availability: InStock

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. Click on the link below to see a short video on the inspiration for this painting, narrated by Karen herself.

Gossip in the green reduced.mp4