Description

Hawfinch (Coccothraustes coccothraustes) portrait oil painting, original artwork (not a print)

A portrait of a hawfinch (Coccothraustes coccothraustes), one of Europe’s most remarkable songbirds, painted in oils on a round 20 cm canvas.

Created with professional artist-grade oil paints using a traditional multilayer technique, this painting captures the quiet strength and understated elegance of a bird that is often heard before it is seen. The ļight pastel yellow background allows the hawfinch’s rich chestnut plumage, velvety slate-blue neck, and deep cobalt wing feathers to take centre stage, while the circular format lends the composition a timeless, medallion-like quality.

Despite its modest size, the hawfinch possesses one of the strongest beaks among European songbirds, capable of cracking cherry pits and other exceptionally hard seeds with astonishing force. A bird of ancient woodlands and old orchards, it spends much of its life hidden high in the tree canopy, revealing itself only to the patient observer.

In folklore and symbolism, birds with powerful beaks have often represented resilience, determination, and the quiet strength found in nature. The hawfinch embodies these qualities without spectacle—its beauty lying not in flamboyance, but in confidence, balance, and remarkable adaptation.

This original painting celebrates one of Europe’s most elusive woodland birds, inviting the viewer to pause and appreciate the extraordinary character hidden within an often-overlooked species.

Size of the painting: 20 cm (7.9 in) diameter. This painting is one of a kind and is not a print.

Materials: Professional oil paints on a stretched linen.

Reference photo: Rob van Mourick.