Matuku-hūrepo/Australasian Bittern

Matuku-hūrepo/Australasian Bittern - Te Henga/Bethells Beach's Special Species

TITLE: The Search

ARTIST: Derek March

MEDIUM: Oil on canvas

DIMENSIONS: 1200mmHx780mmW

While painting this work I was thinking about the elusive behaviour of the matuku, and that was a factor in my working with a nighttime depiction. One bird is moving with stealth in hunting mode while the other holds its neck erect — a defensive posture by which the matuku attempts to camouflage itself amongst the raupō. It is my hope that people coming into contact with this work might be moved by something of the mystery that is nature, particularly the wetland, the place Geoff Park called the shy habitat.

A Te Henga resident and long‑time contributor to the Matuku Link wetland arts and conservation project, Derek March draws upon over four decades living amongst West Auckland’s wild landscapes to shape work that bridges artistic expression and ecological advocacy. His paintings, sculpture and public murals — including atmospheric depictions of matuku and other wetland inhabitants — are informed by a deep, lifelong engagement with the natural world and its seasonal rhythms.