A vignette illustration for Birdbook, an anthology of bird poetry (published 2011, by Sidekick Books: http://www.drfulminare.com/ )

Due to its fondness for eating the seeds of prickly thistles and thorns, the goldfinch is symbolically linked with Christ's suffering, hence the border imagery of the 'Crown of Thorns'.

Original silhouette paper-cut sold. In a private collection in Eye, Suffolk, UK. Prints also available. Please contact me for further details or to commission similar work.