Feeding the Kites at dawn. Darwin 1998. Ceramic plate and Oil on board. 1.5x.5 M

This is a true story.

At first I just noticed the Kites. She emerged carrying a red bowl in a shapeless nightshirt with a cigarette smouldering in the first of the light, the Kites had already gathered along the power lines and rooftops. Squinting in the new sun she cast meat into the air. Some were caught on the wing others subject to savage competition as the meat was plucked from the road.

Dawn is my time too, I was already holding a paintbrush taking advantage of the very early calm to to some painting, she and the Kites became my models.

One morning, seeing the bird silhouettes against the fading stars, I grew impatient to begin and threw some lamb chops out onto the road. The Kites ignored them. At the usual moment she brought the bowl out. When the feeding had ended and the birds dispersed into the new day she picked up all my lamb chops and with a hostile glance at me returned inside. After feeding the kites the next morning she came and asked me what I was doing.

I explained about the images I sought to capture of the kites as the swooped down to catch the food she provided, I showed her the pictures. I asked her about feeding the birds.

" Every morning for seventeen years I've been doing this. And before that down in Katherine when the children were born. Every morning I've been feeding the kites. They only eat boiled chicken wings. Don't you go throwing rubbish to them, people might think it was me and start complaining again. Once I counted 67 kites."

One day she was late. The birds watched. An old man brought the red bowl out. I went and asked.

" Shes' dead. I am only going to feed them whats in the fridge. All these years buying chicken wings, the money she spent. That's it. Don't' go spending all you time worrying about what has passed. You cant' change it so you have got to forget about it. It's no use thinking all the time about your mistakes. Just forget about it."

For a while the birds gathered and watched. I cant' forget that backward squint into to morning sun before she returned inside. Looking up into the great chamber of the sky.