Always On My Mind: Bird Painting by kto ART

At a dinner party a few weeks ago, my Tahitian friend Maeva suggested I paint a Tiare flower, the Tahitian gardenia. They are beautiful, with long petals and a delicate sweet smell. Tiare shrubs grow all over Hawaii and you can see birds bouncing around on the hardy leaves. 
In "Always On My Mind", I painted a male 'Akepa perched on the stem of the Tiare flower. 'Akepas are native to Hawaii and one of the smallest endemic birds. Females are green with hints of yellow or orange on their chests. The males, however, maintain an electric orange plumage that takes four years to fill out. 'Akepa (meaning "agile" in Hawaiian) was rightly named by Hawaiians for its ability to dance on the tips of flowers and edges of leaves. 
For the moment, this neon little cheese puff is in zen mode... gazing out and thinking of his love with the perfume of Tiares wafting  in the air:)

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