Falling Leaves

An Acorn Woodpecker's clown-patterned head peers in from one corner of a stark black canvas, its red cap and white-ringed eye catching the light, while a pattern of gold-leaf leafshapes drifts down across the dark background like falling leaves. The striking, decorative use of gold leaf against black gives the piece a bold, graphic quality far removed from a naturalistic setting, turning the bird's favorite food tree into a shower of shimmering shapes.