‘Bird on a wire’ (2021), 30”x30” acrylic on canvas, mixed media, oil pastel, varnish.

The painting is a story of autonomy. Outside my studio, there is a telegraph pole. There are always birds on its wire, and I like to think of them as witnesses to my creations. I love seeing them and knowing they are there. Free to fly away at any moment, and yet still there.

As I painted, I listened to k.d. lang’s performance of Leonard Cohen’s song, Bird On A Wire, and thought about how, like those birds, we are all free to make our own choices, and yet pre-disposed to any number of patterns and behaviours that influence our path in life.