*FRAMED* ORIGINAL ART – ‘Romeo’, Purple-Crowned Fairy-Wren

*Available at Watershed Gallery, Pokolbin/ Hunter Valley – 0418 699 256 or art@watershedgallery.com.au*

 

‘Romeo’*

2022
Ink and watercolour
Artwork: 380mm x 380mm
Framed: 520mm x 520mm
by Shannon Dwyer

‘Romeo’ was created using a traditional nib dip pen and ink, along with professional-grade watercolours executed on 425gsm 100% cotton rag watercolour paper. This original artwork includes the ‘Shannon Dwyer Original’ embossment and hand-penned signature validating it as an original artwork of Shannon Dwyer.

 

Artwork on display at Watershed Gallery, Pokolbin. 

 

 

 

Artwork details:
Original watercolour and ink artwork, ‘Romeo’, the Purple-Crowned Fairy-Wren.*

‘Romeo’ was created with watercolours and detailed with both acrylics and a traditional nib and ink on 425gsm 100% cotton watercolour paper. This original artwork is hand-embossed with the ‘Shannon Dwyer Original’ authenticity seal and hand-penned signature validating it as an original artwork of Shannon Dwyer.

Before starting an artwork Shannon researches her subject thoroughly to intimately know its habits, movements, personality and colouring to ensure she can capture it all in her artwork.
One of the bonuses of this research for her art collectors is that her research is then also combined into a summarised paragraph which becomes part of the Certificate of Authenticity.

It’s rare in birds for a female to be as pretty as the male but Shannon found the colouring of both sexes of the Purple-crowned Fairy-wrens to be equally spectacular. The combination of their beautiful plumage, the fact that they mate for life and, sadly, their devastating Conservation Status, inspired Shannon to capture both sexes of this stunning and unique fairywren species.

Purple-Crowned Fairy-wrens ‘Purple-Crowns’, are restricted to tropical far-north WA, NT & QLD in small, scattered populations. It occurs as two subspecies: The western subspecies found in the Kimberley Region of WA and Victoria River District of the NT and the eastern subspecies occuring on rivers that drain into the Gulf of Carpentaria. As a species, ‘Purple-Crowns’ are particularly habitat-dependant, with extremely patchy distribution. Found in pairs or small groups, they spend their days flitting about between river grasses and shrubs, scratching in the leaf litter to find their insect prey and sometimes seeds. ‘Purple-Crowns’ depend heavily on dense river-fringing vegetation; specifically Pandanus, which they nest deep within. Co-operative breeders, they defend their territory year-round. Unlike other fairy-wrens, ‘Purple-Crowns’ are monogamous and do not seek mates outside their pair, combining 50% of their songs to form epic duets which also act as a cooperative territorial defence. Also unique to ‘Purple-Crowns’, the males’ bright plumage isn’t to attract females, it’s to make males more competitive for fiercely contested breeding positions. Outside breeding season, adult males appear similar to the adult females but are distinguished by the colour of the facial ‘mask’. Their habitat is threatened by feral herbivores and wildfires – plus, they prefer to nest low to the ground to avoid predators which makes them more vunerable when flooding occurs. Grazing by livestock is also being implicated in its destruction and its disappearance from parts of its range. Conservation Status: Endangered in WA (WSS); Near-threatened in NT (ESS)

 

*Artwork price includes signed original artwork, Certificate of Authenticity. Shipping calculated separately and individually quoted.