BIRDS ON DRIPPING TAPS

My series of birds on dripping taps have perhpas become my best-known trademark creation and the most popular series. Their design was simply inspired from watching various bird species drinking from a leaky tap just outside my studio.

Each piece is an original, created with careful attention to the character and personality of the bird species.

All taps are real metal taps and are often recycled from junkyards. Some are very old and rusted, others new and functional.

I loved doing these dripping tap commissions... and this is just a very small selection of the many species of birds that I have done.

Title: “Hoopoes at Dripping Tap”
Size: 35 x 55 cm
Price: COMMISSION (South Africa)
Inspiration: Two little hoopoes having a drink from a dripping tap.
Title: “Starlings at Dripping Tap”
Size: 60 x 90 cm
Price: SOLD (South Africa)
Inspiration: A flock of Glossy Starlings having a bath under a dripping tap! These are one of my favourite bushveld birds, a common visitor to most picnics and such little characters! They love a vigorous bathing and saturating themselves in the water.
Title: “Weavers at Dripping Tap”
Size: 60 x 100 cm
Price: SOLD (South Africa)
Inspiration: A flock of Southern Masked Weavers drinking and bathing at a dripping tap at midday. I love these bright yellow and playful birds, and they really love a good bath!
Title: “Turaco at Dripping Tap”
Size: 40 x 80 cm
Price: SOLD (South Africa)
Inspiration: A Purple Crested Turaco (Loerie) at a dripping tap. These are common visitors to my garden and love my bird bath and dripping tap fountain!
Title: “Red Bishops at Dripping Tap”
Size: 60 x 100 cm
Price: SOLD (South Africa)
Inspiration: A flock of Red Bishops drinking and bathing at a dripping tap during the midday heat. This mosaic won first place (GOLD) in the 2018 MASA (Mosaic Association of South Africa) 'Mosaic is Art' art competition (Cape Town).
Title: “Violet-Backed Starlings at Dripping Tap”
Size: 60 x 90 cm
Price: SOLD (South Africa)
Inspiration: A flock of Violet-Backed Starlings having a bath under a dripping tap! These are common birds here n KwaZulu-Natal, and often enjoy a vigourous bath!
Title: “Malachite Sunbirds at Dripping Tap”
Size: 35 x 45 cm
Price: SOLD (Germany)
Inspiration: Two male Malachite Sunbirds having a drink from a dripping tap. Love these little sunbirds with their long curved beaks and bright green iridescent colouring.
Title: “Hornbill at Dripping Tap”
Size: 55 x 55 cm
Price: SOLD (Sweden)
Inspiration: A Yellow-billed Hornbill drinking from a dripping tap. These comical looking birds spend much of their time on the ground, hopping around looking for food and are common visitors to picnics and gardens!
Title: “Cape Parrots at Dripping Tap”
Size: 65 x 95 cm
Price: SOLD (South Africa)
Inspiration: Three Cape Parrots having a drink from a leaky tap. These beautiful parrots are South Africa’s only endemic parrot species, and are found in KwaZulu-Natal (and the Midlands). However, they are also sadly endangered due to habitat loss.
Title: “Crested Barbets at Dripping Tap”
Size: 40 x 80 cm
Price: SOLD (South Africa)
Inspiration: A pair of barbets at a leaky tap. These distinctive birds are common garden visitors and are always a treat to see!
Title: “Weavers at Dripping Tap”
Size: 35 x 45 cm
Price: SOLD (Zambia)
Inspiration: Two Southern Mask Weavers having a drink and a bath at a dripping tap! These bright and cheerful (and often very chirpy) birds are one of my favourites – they are always up to something and I love watching them play around the taps and water in the garden!
Title: “Sunbirds at Dripping Tap”
Size: 35 x 45 cm
Price: SOLD (South Africa)
Inspiration: The bling birds of the garden! A little Southern Double-Collared Sunbird and Malachite Sunbird having a drink from a dripping tap.
Title: “Sunbirds at Dripping Tap”
Size: 35 x 45 cm
Price: SOLD (South Africa)
Inspiration: The bling birds of the garden! Two Southern Double-Collared Sunbirds having a drink from a dripping tap.
Title: “Cape Robin-Chats at Dripping Tap”
Size: 30 x 60 cm
Price: SOLD (New York, USA)
Inspiration: A pair of Cape Robin Chats at a dripping tap. These robins are very common (and friendly!) visitors to the garden (and my studio!) and love a vigorous daily bath in the water.
Title: “Scarlet-Chested Sunbirds at Dripping Tap”
Size: 35 x 45 cm
Price: SOLD (South Africa)
Inspiration: Two little Scarlet-Chested Sunbirds having a drink from a dripping tap. Love these little birds with their bold black and red colouring and the little cheek patch of iridescence.