Darrell Underschultz Bird Paintings 2006 - 2026
July 24th – October 5th, 2026
Artists Statement
Bird Paintings 2006-2026 The work I create is largely informed by the natural world and it’s many wonders. While I don’t consider myself to be a wildlife artist, I cannot deny the fascination I have with birds. I’m drawn to their vulnerability and strangeness, their peculiar movements, textures and colours. For myself, birds are an archetypal symbol of freedom and a limitless source of artistic inspiration.
Earlier paintings, from 2006, featured birds of traditional beauty wandering alone within a dark, romantic landscape, lost in a period dream. These works captured the subject in all their magnificence through sensuous lighting, tightly painted detail, and intricate patterning.These pieces were inspired by my love of old wildlife engravings and similarities can be seen in the line work used to render the subject.
To further explore my muse, I conceived a collection; studies of unconventionally beautiful birds which are both alluring and alienating in equal measure. Adopting a more textural and fluid approach to painting, I moved towards intimate and exacting portraits. By keeping background elements to a minimum, attention is placed on the birds unique and strange character.
The more recent songbird paintings often feature a pair of birds perched atop floating branches and surrounded by colourful green foliage. Painted in a looser manner with some of the background elements slightly abstracted or simplified, they capture a sense of nostalgia while still feeling contemporary in their approach. Many of the smaller works from this series feature a single bird emerging from a dark background reminiscent of Dutch floral paintings of the 17th century.
This is the first time a selection of paintings from these three bodies of work have been showcased in one exhibition. I invite the viewer to consider these three bodies of work not as separate chapters, but as one unfolding conversation with a captivating subject that has inspired me throughout my life.