Fearless Soul (2021) Original Oil Painting by Yuko Montgomery

This photorealistic bird painting is part of my ongoing wildlife art and bird portrait work, and it's a laughing kookaburra — a member of the kingfisher family and one of the most popular birds in Australia. I painted this piece because I was fascinated by the bird's unique appearance: a chubby, rounded body, beautiful bright blue feathers, and a brown stripe crossing each eye like a mask. That combination of comedic charm and genuine striking coloring made it an irresistible subject for animal art.

The red sun behind the kookaburra is my own addition — a symbol of life and the universe, grounding this particular bird portrait in something larger than the animal itself.

The title came from one of the most interesting facts I learned while researching this bird for the painting. Its name, "laughing kookaburra," refers to the distinctive call it uses to establish territory among family groups — but the bird's real personality contradicts its cuddly look. Despite being a kingfisher, it eats far more insects, reptiles, frogs, and rodents than fish, and it's bold enough to hunt snakes larger than itself, even stealing food right off barbecue sites. That gap between the kookaburra's adorable appearance and its fearless, opportunistic nature is exactly what pulled me toward painting it — a reminder that the most charming-looking creatures in birds of prey and wildlife art often have the wildest stories behind them.

Materials used:

Oil

Details:

• Oil painting on Canvas
• One of a kind artwork
• Size: 45.72 x 38.1 x 2.03cm (unframed) / 45.72 x 38.1cm (actual image size)
• Ready to hang
• Signed on the front
• Style: Photorealistic
• Subject: Animals and birds

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