This handsome cockatoo is perched on a frangipani tree from my garden. Last summer I snapped off a piece of frangipani from my tree and popped it in a big vase. It lasted for most of the winter on my dining table and made me feel summery even when it was grey and miserable outside.

I took plenty of sketches from my 'specimen' and you will see if featured quite a bit in my work from the past year. For this piece I've used a combination of grey, greens and blues with a touch of yellow on the cockatoo tail and cheeks. I like to paint with Chinese calligraphy brushes, varying the paint consistency from thick and opaque to a watery wash which results in lovely random watermarks on the work.

Hang this large watercolour on your wall for a daily dose of summer all year round. I am planning on producing a limited edition of prints of this work in A1 size. Here is your chance to own the original painting!