“As a symbol across many cultures, feathers have always represented a connection to spiritual realms and to divinity. And because of their connection to birds, they have always been a symbol of flight and freedom, not just physically, but also in a mental or spiritual sense.” – Woot and Hammy
Our nature influenced and inspired artist Sophie paints a delicate mural of a parrots wings directly opposite boxpark In Shoreditch. Sophie experiments with a colour palette beyond nature’s selection and experiments with bright pinks, purples and greens for her piece.
We interviewed Sophie to find out the inspiration behind her piece and any challenges she may have come across throughout the process.
So what inspired you to paint his piece?
“I chose to paint this piece because I really enjoyed painting the Camden Brazilian mural which involved working on both parrots and leaves. I enjoyed that project so much that I really wanted to get involved in painting more parrots.”
Is there a specific reason you chose to paint parrots wings instead of other birds wings?
“I guess it’s because parrots have so many feathers and such great tail’s, they’re also genuinely really colourful. I know I tweaked the colours on these ones but they are already so colourful which is always really fun to paint.”
Why did you choose parrots wings in particular to paint?
“I was just playing around with colours and I really liked the idea of using green and pink together. I really wanted to make these wings quite different to the parrots you see in everyday life. I wanted to make them a bit more striking and if they’re different to what you’ve seen before they’re far more interesting and pretty to look at.”
What challenges did you come across, if any?
“I think it is always so much more challenging when it’s so hot. The week of this project was particularly hot so it can make painting more tiring. Also some of the feathers were quite small and things always get harder to paint as they get smaller which I found quite technically challenging.”
Did you enjoy the project?
“The feathers have been really enjoyable to paint because it’s like you’re bringing them to life. They’re up on a roof so it’s like they’re flying.”
To see this beautiful piece, look directly at the building opposite BoxPark in Shoreditch and it is situated on one of the roof panels.