These are the critters domestic chickens are descended from. I experimented a bit here with a much looser, expressionist sort of style; I have yet to decide whether I like it!
When you wander around in dry thorn veld, it's all muted greens and earth colors. Until you glimpse a little flock of blue waxbills; they always come as a pleasant surprise, their powder blue plumage looking strangely out of place in surroundings. Which is perhaps one reason why I enjoy painting them.
More specifically, a greater double-banded sunbird. Acrylics on Masonite, 20 x 15 cm:
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The sunbirds (there are many species) are Africa's version of the hummingbirds of the Americas. despite their similar looks, they are not closely related. The sunbirds have a similar lifestyle though, and live on nectar and small insects.