Grey Heron, Kamogawa River
Acrylic, gold leaf on birch panel
Framed 20 x 16"
Private collection.
I followed this regal bird along the banks of the Kamogawa River in Kyoto… this painting is from one of my photos. In Greek mythology, heron was the messenger of Athena and Aphrodite, and it is generally viewed as equally at home on land and in water. As for the gold leaf, I quote Rainer Maria Rilke:
No thing is too small for me to cherish and paint in gold, as if it were an icon that could bless us, though I’ll not know who else among us will feel this blessing.