CREATIVE EXPRESSIONS OF COLOUR BY A. JERRY SIMON
September 13 2026 | Art Review
This week we are looking at painting that displays something of the natural fauna of Antigua and Barbuda and the Caribbean. It is called “Hummingbirds in a Symphony of Colour”. However, rather than being a realistic representation of hummingbirds, the painting is done in a fauvist style, with the emphasis on intense colouring.
Hummingbirds are quite unique in the bird kingdom. They have the fastest wing beat and heart beat of any bird, they are the only birds that hover stationary in the air and naturally fly backwards. Because of their high metabolic rate, they require relatively large amounts of energy and hence spend most of their day feeding. There are many kinds of humming birds and they appear in a variety of colour, shape and size.
In this painting, I did not concentrate on any real kind of hummingbirds, rather I did an abstract rendition of a family of hummingbirds with distorted forms and different features with regards to wings, body types, beaks and colour patterns. Even the idea of family is not something very common in hummingbirds, as they tend only to pair for the act of mating. After that they just go on the constant quest for food.
This painting features intense, vibrant reds, greens, blues, yellows and whites, with the birds and background sharing very much the same colours. For most parts, a heavy black outline was used for the birds; this created high visual contrast and embolden the vibrancy of the colours. The effect was to have a joyful, uplifting painting with life and energy expressed by colour rather than by the illusion of depth or movement.
Typical of a fauvist and even expressionist style, the painting is meant to evoke emotions, in this case of joy, wellness and maybe even fun, and not biological realism.
Sometimes in life we need just to look at nature and enjoy the colour, movement and sounds without trying to analyze, define or discover the scientific explanation. For me, hummingbirds are one of my go-to natural agents. They just seem to float from flower to flower, apparently without plan or order (though they do have one) and just cut the air space with a flash of colour and form.
Take the time today and each day, even for a few minutes, to enjoy the charm of nature, immerse yourself in the moment and give thanks to the creator for all things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small.