Jan Brown's birds

Jan Brown's birds

The birds of Australia's bush capital make nature ever present for Canberrans. Carolling magpies, sulphur crested

cockatoos with their bright yellow plume and Gang Gangs with their brilliant red and black. Silky black Ravens,

loud currawongs, pairs of king parrots with their flash of bright green and red, kookaburras, rosellas, and the tiny

willy wag tail, are all commonly found in the backyards, hills, and parks of the city.

For Jan Brown, they were to become a deep source of fascination and her sculptures of birds, rather than appear-

ing purely representational, allowed her to consider deeper questions of the relationship of humans and nature.

The magpie was her favourite. It's unusual dual character of appearing austere and all-knowing and then quite

suddenly silly and quizzical or cruel, offered continuous possibility for observation and reflection. The works she

modelled and then cast in bronze or Ciment Fondu can sometimes be seen as a sardonic or humorous study of

aspiration and pretension such as the pompous Elder Stateman (1978) or the jangled time of youth and assertion

of identity such as Young Magpie 3 (1988).

Brown reflected deep sadness at environmental impacts on bird life, in works such as Carnage (1978) and paid

homage to the wisdom she had learned from them in a late work, Owl Self Portrait (2003).

Elder Statesman 1978

Ciment Fondu

Carnage 1978

Ciment Fondu

Young Magpie (3) 1988

Ciment Fondu

Owl Self Portrait 2003

Papier Mache

Collection of Canberra Museum and Gallery, donated by the artist 2008

Done