My name is Brett, and I am a self-taught artist with a passion for capturing the wildlife and wilderness of New Zealand’s South Island. I primarily work in traditional oils on canvas. Kea at the Viaduct lookout near Arthur’s Pass have been a favourite subject of mine for more than 20 years. There is something captivating about seeing these intelligent, mischievous birds occupying the boundary between wilderness and man's incursion. Rather than focusing on the threats associated with this shared environment, I wanted to simply celebrate the character, beauty and irrepressible curiosity of the Kea.

The contrast between the birds and the man-made surroundings particularly appealed to me. The rigid geometry of concrete and steel sits against the organic forms, intricate feather patterns and movement of the birds. Even the graffiti became part of the visual story.

The title Juvenile Delinquents at the Viaduct came from noticing a humorous parallel between young people leaving their mark through minor acts of vandalism and the apparent determination of juvenile Kea to investigate, dismantle and interfere with anything they find interesting. In this case, the Kea seem every bit as guilty of mischief as their human counterparts. Using reference photographs I took last year, I developed a semi-abstract composition in which the geometric structures frame a sequence of Kea, leading the viewer through the scene and its story. The result is intended to be both a celebration of this remarkable New Zealand bird and a light-hearted warning: never leave anything unattended around a Kea!