Bird People and Blue Elephants

Paintings by Sushila Burgess of a jewel-bright country inhabited by magic monsters, blue and yellow elephants, peacocks, deer, swans and women in scarlet saris with enigmatic smiles. Birds with human heads flit through this dream-like world: the chaffinch family, giggling and wriggling in their nest while the father stands proudly with his rose-red chest; little green bee-eaters of Upper Egypt; bluetits swooping down on the peanut feeder like pilots in azure goggles; smarmy peacock king and grumpy peahen. Also to be found in these pages are mermaids, fairies, a sphinx, and a wine-drinking octopus in a golden summerhouse above the waves. Artwork from 1997 to February 2011 in gouache on paper and porcelain paint on ceramic tiles.