Blackbird

A solo exhibition of joyful, vibrant paintings celebrating the life cycle and changing seasons of the blackbird by artist Lucy Stevens.

Artist Lucy Stevens has created a new collection of paintings that capture the beauty of the blackbird, from courtship, to nest building, foraging food and fledging the nest.

The new collection is a documentation of her sightings of blackbirds during her morning walks with her border terrier, Millie, in Aylestone, Leicester. The artworks showcase a narrative about the blackbirds' different stages in life, reflecting new beginnings and seasonal changes.

Lucy felt called to create a collection of artworks to celebrate the life of the blackbird. She was drawn to their striking but familiar appearance and their bold and fearless nature. Male blackbirds have black feathers and a bright orange-yellow beak and eye ring whilst the females are brown with spots and streaks on their breast with a brown beak.

This well-known garden visitor is a welcome sight as it is often associated with the start of spring. It is a favourite of Lucy's, not only for its appearance but for its flutey melodic song, which can be heard year-round but mostly between March and July during breeding season.

The blackbird is said to represent a myriad of meanings in both folklore and religion including temptation, spirituality, divine insight and reincarnation. Sightings of the bird are common but some interpret it as a symbol of intelligence, adaptability and survival and this is certainly evidenced in their 'green' conservation status, meaning that its population numbers are stable.

The blackbird is able to thrive in almost all habitats including woodland and urban areas, suburban, farmland and grassland. Blackbirds in the UK are resilient and adjust their diet and behaviour throughout the year in response to the changing seasons. In response to this, Stevens has used a vibrant colour palette to reflect all seasons and included symbolic imagery (berries, apples, blossom, the moon, etc.) to represent abundance, renewal, change and hope.

Viewers can expect to see a collection of 12 paintings created using acrylic paint and oil pastel on paper, board and canvas. Works include imagery of blackbird eggs and portraits of both male and female blackbirds and part-factual-part-imagined homes, gardens and landscapes.