This handmade paper sculpture orange bellied woodpecker is one of a kind. He has a mostly black and white striped back, a peachy coral belly, with an orange stripe, white chest and shoulders and a bright orange head. He is made with hand printed papers and measures around 30 cm from tail to beak tip. He is varnished with a UV protective lacquer, which seals his edges and ensures he will not get damaged by the sun. He is made from a very sturdy 300 gsm paper stock. He is easy to care for: a tickle with a duster every now and then is all he needs. He perches on a wreath festooned with tiny yellow forsythia flowers. Forsythia symbolises the Spring sun, because it is usually the very first thing to bloom and announce the arrival of Spring, after a long, cold Winter. This piece was inspired by the live animal drawing sessions at Henley School of Art. They get such beautiful footage and I was completely enamoured by videos of a woodpecker. As I was building him, my neighbour's forsythia was coming into bloom and I was inspired to make him a jolly yellow frame. Woodpeckers symbolises new opportunities that come knocking, which I think is a lovely interpretation of their behaviour. They are persistent birds and are said to remind us we should never give up.
