Bird on a Blossom Branch

A bird with a teal crown and ringed golden eye perches on a peach branch, its layered plumage and pale blossoms answering one another across the open field of paper to hold a still glimmer of early spring.

Executed in meticulous gongbi, the feathers are laid strand by strand, with greens, ochres and milky greys softly merged; the scalloped back marks and curled tail coverts are crisply counted. The bird turns slightly back, its bright ringed eye alert and claws gripping the knotted twig, while peach buds and a single open bloom set a light diagonal counterpoint. Broad reserve amplifies the warm, time-toned paper; faint underdrawing beneath the branch discloses the calm progress of making. The whole breathes a quiet, tender air, like wind stilled on the verge of spring.

Category

Ink · Bird & Flower

Year

1997