Birds -  THe Sentinel 

PAINTING OF STARLINGS BY THE ANIMAL ARTIST LAURENCE SAUNOIS

The David Shepherd Choice Award : The piece chosen by David Shepherd CBE as his favorite in the competition.

During one of her trips to London, Laurence Saunois witnessed this scene where starlings were feasting on the remains of a lunch on plates by the river.
This painting has very important symbols for her.
First of all, she loves birds. They are animals that are in the pure lineage of dinosaurs! Birds have colonized the planet, are able to live in all climatic conditions almost even the most extreme. Despite their small size for some of them, they can travel unimaginable distances during migrations. Their resilience and their ability to adapt are incredible.
With the cups, the animal painter wanted to reflect on our consumer society and the use of plastic. Plastic is a serious problem for our society. It is really a product that almost everyone on the planet uses and yet it pollutes the environment, the earth, the seas and the oceans. We use it every day and our waste is everywhere.
Another idea developed in this painting is the food waste with the tomatoes in the plates. Our modern civilizations waste food while some people do not have enough to eat and sometimes die. But here nothing is lost with these opportunistic birds!
And then there is the use of water made by men with the river which serves as a background to the table. What management of drinking water in the future? What use? What sharing? A lot of questions about something that is simply essential for life on our planet.