This is the piece I've been working on for some time, but I couldn't show you before because it's part of the new Awfully Big Art Adventure challenge to do a bird related piece. Years ago I bought this birdcage in a hardware store, and have been waiting for inspiration to strike ever since. It's original colour was a rather nasty attempt at verdigris, so I spray painted it cream.


I antiqued it a little using brown chalk inks, and added a few gold highlights. I also made a template for the base which I covered in cream and gold paper. The nest with the eggs in the base was an Etsy purchase, which I absolutely love, and is completely made of felt. I wanted ivy to trail artistically down the cage, and it took me a long time to figure out how to do this.

I found an ivy leaf image on the internet and pasted it into a Word document, making different sizes of leaf. Then I backed each sheet with dark green card, cutting out each individual leaf, rubbing dark green chalk ink along the edge to get rid of the white paper edge. I wanted to seal the leaves so each side got a coat of Mod Podge. You're beginning to see why this project took so long aren't you?


It was a real labour of love to stick each leaf on individually, and to try and layer different sizes to get the trailing effect I was after. There were some metal "branches" on the mesh of the cage (which opens from the top) so I painted these a soft green and added a few flowers.

I added a perch for the bird - who is NOT hand-made but another internet purchase. I would be ashamed to show you my dreadful attempts at bird-making, which is clearly not my forte!!


I'm planning to hang this piece from the ceiling by a chain, but I'm not completely sure that it's finished. I have it in mind to make some dangly pieces to hang from the perch, but I haven't designed them in my head yet!

A scrolled banner behind the bird says "I know why the caged bird sings" which is a poem by Maya Angelou, and also the title of her autobiography.

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings

A free bird leaps on the back of the wind
and floats downstream till the current ends
and dips his wing in the orange suns rays
and dares to claim the sky.

But a bird that stalks down his narrow cage
can seldom see through his bars of rage
his wings are clipped and his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings with a fearful trill
of things unknown but longed for still
and his tune is heard on the distant hill
for the caged bird sings of freedom.

The free bird thinks of another breeze
and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees
and the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright lawn
and he names the sky his own.

But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams
his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
his wings are clipped and his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings with a fearful trill
of things unknown but longed for still
and his tune is heard on the distant hill
for the caged bird sings of freedom.