The Story behind the Artwork
Huia resting on Pigeonwood.
The 1960’s sixpence a coin way before my time, only really mentioned by my Dad who always ask, ‘rake the leaves for a sixpence?’ as a joke but never came through with this now collectable coin.
The coin itself features a Huia, a native bird that was last seen in 1907, officially extinct but is still a NZ icon. A bird that would feast on insects, Huhu, Weta and Pigeonwood berries (porokaiwhiri). Painting this Huia was a challenge, there is no photographs of this bird, only ancient illustrations and some museum specimens, so I had to really study what resources I had.
The Story behind the Artwork
Huia resting on Pigeonwood.
The 1960’s sixpence a coin way before my time, only really mentioned by my Dad who always ask, ‘rake the leaves for a sixpence?’ as a joke but never came through with this now collectable coin.
The coin itself features a Huia, a native bird that was last seen in 1907, officially extinct but is still a NZ icon. A bird that would feast on insects, Huhu, Weta and Pigeonwood berries (porokaiwhiri). Painting this Huia was a challenge, there is no photographs of this bird, only ancient illustrations and some museum specimens, so I had to really study what resources I had.
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Image 2 of 2
