Muireann • 17 • Meath

16-18 Category   •  2026
This piece was inspired by my recent move to a new home. Where I used to live I'd often see herons as we were close to a water source. I loved spotting the Herons with their beautiful grey and almost Blue feathers. When we moved I knew I'd miss seeing them around. The first day in our new home I went upstairs and the first thing I saw when I looked out my new bedroom window was a Heron Fly by. As far as I knew we weren't near water so I wasn't expecting to see the Heron's again so this was a pleasant surprise. I looked up their symbolic meaning and discovered that they are a symbol of good fortune which inspired this piece. For this piece I sketch out the Heron on some card paper and with acrylic markers I added the colour, putting emphasis on the blueness of the Heron's feathers. I used shapes and colour to emphasise the movement of the feathers. I then cut out the piece and I stuck it to a canvas I had painted. When doing this I raised it from the canvas by about 5cm using carboard and tape to add further depth and to bring further attention to the bird. I wanted to recreate the image of the Heron flying through the sky that I had seen and I hope that I did it justice. I named my piece 'An Chor Reisc de shonas' - the Heron of Good Fortune.