John Maitland reveals a snippet describing where he found
Artwork by John Maitland
his inspiration for his bird paintings. “Shriek! A cacophony filled the air as the light began to fade; this was the experience when I took visiting relatives to Burleigh Heads to experience this colourful phenomenon. Lorikeets in their thousands, a feeding frenzy in the pine trees discarded pine cone bits rained down from the trees intermingled with a noise that could shatter champagne glasses. One of the visitors, happily not a relative, complained. I actually had my cockatoo and parrot fascination rekindled at my son’s place a few months ago when they flew on to his veranda for a feed … creamy white, huge blue black beaks and feet, crests rising up and down as they surveyed the scene intently… And they’re all around me on the Coast as they screech and fly in enormous numbers, plopping on trees and writhing around upside down, encircling their food in an ever moving, noisy tea party. I first became aware of them when living in New South Wales … Black Cockatoos appearing like menacing bullies … wings beating slowly and methodically as they shrieked in, usually at New Year! That’s when I first came up with the idea. King Parrots, Grass Parrots, Rosellas, Lorikeets … you name them we had them in our back yard. I did a series which went into print and was distributed in most countries; yes, an international blitz of my parrots….all imaginary of course … just loosely based on reality … but giving, I hope, the experience of these exotic birds in all their colourful, idiosyncratic glory. There’s a number of other works in my 2015 show. As you can see my imagination never tires!”, John Maitland. John Maitland will be exhibiting at the Red Hill Gallery, 61 Musgrave Road, Red Hill from the 1st of May until the 17th in the exhibition ‘Simplicity‘. © Red Hill Gallery
