This artwork is an exploration of the male Northern cardinal’s unmistakable red plumage, which makes it one of the most recognisable birds in all of North America.

The frontal perspective allows the portrait to showcase not only the beauty of the bird’s form and outline, but also the remarkable subtlety of tonal variation across the front of its body.

The cardinal’s colouration is, in fact, far more intricate than it might first appear. Rather than simply being a “red bird”, close observation reveals a huge array of subtle undertones and ‚hidden’ colours that give its plumage such remarkable richness and depth.

Warm yellows and oranges appear where sunlight touches the breast and head feathers, while soft violets and lilacs emerge across the quieter wings and tail. Hints of blue can even be found ‚hiding’ within the shadows and along feather edges, where they gently blend into the surrounding background.