Kōtuku - Heron Painting

Kōtuku Painting on canvas by Paula Coulthard 

Dimensions: 97cm x 67cm

limited Edition of 10. Water based acrylic on cotton canvas.

Kōtuku is individually painted using a stencil so there is a degree of variation in each of the numbered artworks.

This canvas has an allowance of 7cm on each side for stretching, or can be pinned directly to the wall 

Kōtuku, the White Heron, majestic and bright against the dark shadows of the shady creek, I first saw kōtuku in the trees of the Henderson Creek near my home in Te Atatu Peninsula. Stark white and luminous against the dark foliage of the riverside trees.

The kōtuku are a very rare and protected bird with only one nesting site in NZ (Ōkārito in South Westland). Native to New Zealand but not endemic, these birds disperse throughout the country but return to their nesting site to breed.

Featured in flight on the NZ $2 coin, and to quote The Department of Conservation, “As a symbol of things both beautiful and rare, the kōtuku occupied an important place in Māori myth and folklore, and to compare a visitor to a kōtuku was a compliment of the highest order.”

* Shipped rolled in a tube