“Starbursts of Eternity ” NZ Original Painting

This is part of a series of contemporary paintings that entwines NZ birds with there landscapes and celebrates colour & light.

This painting is a glimpse of the secretive grey ghost of the forest, I was drawn to paint the South Island Kokako because of their soft blue grey feathers & beautiful orange wattles which married well with the copper leaf, I’ve used to represent a starburst. The kokako is just posed to fly away which tells their story well as their currently not classified as extinct and would be wonderful to be found.



I’m spent a lot of time thinking about life an it’s cycles and it’s meaning I’ve included monarch butterfly to represent life, transformation and rebirth. I like the idea of the chrysalis been a figurative cover of protection. The White Kaka flowers are included as they are rare and endangered in the wild so have a line of connection to the South Island Kokako. 


“Starbursts of Eternity” acrylic on board, 40cm, Tammie Hodgetts, 2022