Mānuka Magic

Some sweet pīwakawaka joy

I thought I might start using my Substack a bit more often (even though I mostly blog over here on my main website). And what better way to get going than with a joyous picture of a bird 💕

Mānuka Magic (pīwakawaka) - a fine art limited-edition print

I used to be a lot more active on Facebook and Instagram until they turned into sites for AI slop and endless reels - no longer a place to see friends and family and your favourite creatives. So I’m hoping that maybe Substack has not yet succumbed to “enshittification” (which is a technical term for the degrading of a once-useful social media site as profits are chased above all else). It’s nice to have a place to chatter away without getting tied up with having to write a perfect blog.

Anyway, I photographed this sweet wee pīwakawaka fantail in the glorious setting sun by Lake Wairarapa a couple of years ago. Here, I’ve paired him with the most gorgeous flowering mānuka photographed at Ōtari-Wilton’s Bush. The artwork was then created by digitally painting over, blending, and toning using a scruffy oil brush. I love how soft and romantic this piece turned out.

Do you have fantails in your garden? As I write this, the sun is setting on another lovely autumn day, and my favourite fantail, “Freddie Sunshine,” is busy having a bath just out the window, cheeping happily away.

Aroha nui

Judi

P.S. If you love fantails too, you might like this story I wrote recently about what they mean to me and why they’re such a popular choice for art in New Zealand.