Francis by Cassie Holmes
This piece is part of my recent Feathery February collection. For this collection I painted Australian birds from the top 10 Australian birds of 2023. The Gouldian Finch came in at number 9 of the 2023 top 10 Australian birds.
The Gouldian Finch is one of the most colourful small birds in Australia. Around 75% of the Gouldian Finches have black faces, with the remaining 25% having red faces. You can occasionally come across a yellow-faced one too.
I painted a pair of each bird because I like that they have a friend. I use thick oil paint and palette knives to create the texture, including adding it in the background of my pieces.
Finches are very special to me as my Dad used to breed finches when we were kids. We had a large aviary out the back that had a variety of birds, including many different types of finches. So many wonderful memories for me.
This piece is on a 20cm x 20cm cradled wood panel, which is 3.8cm wide, allowing you to stand it up on a shelf. It also comes with wire ready to hang. It is unframed but the sides are painted in a light grey so you can have more than one from the set if you like and they will all match. This piece will look lovely hanging on a wall, particularly with its partner, or standing on a shelf or bench.