I was intrigued recently to receive a large ostrich egg through the post.  I was invited to paint it for an Easter charity auction to be held in the Iona House Gallery in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, where I exhibitied paintings in September.  The eggs will join a large clutch painted by artists from all over the UK, to raise funds for Scottish International Relief, whose project "Mary's Meals"  provides daily meals in schools for children in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe.

Painting an ostrich egg was an interesting and novel challenge!  After discarding several impractical ideas I decided to base my design on a series of paintings I did some years ago of a landscape near Inverness painted in all four seasons.  It is gratifying to know that my egg will help to support such a very worthwhile charity.

Here are the four aspects of the egg.