Melissa Boardman
Native birds have long been a source of inspiration for Kiwi artist Melissa Boardman. The talented illustrator and artist spends much of her time in bird sanctuaries and exploring nature, quietly observing and photographing birds.
Based in Wellington, Melissa designs and makes a range of eco-friendly products around her original illustrations of native birds. She largely uses gouache (opaque watercolour) to create her illustrations and regularly donates to bird charities and native tree planting projects – a kind of ‘pay it forward’ to the environment she loves so much.
As well as having completed her first book, Birds of Aotearoa New Zealand: Collective Nouns in 2020, Melissa’s original artwork can now be seen around the country, adorning a special umbrella in a collaboration with BLUNT and Forest & Bird.
The limited-edition offering combines Melissa’s vibrant canopy design, with BLUNT’s renowned engineering excellence, and the collaboration umbrella will see a proportion of sales go to Forest & Bird, designed to tie in with the timing of the annual Bird of the Year competition.
In fact, this annual competition was the inspiration for Melissa’s design, which is hand-painted with aroha, and features the five winning native birds from last year’s competition in a beautiful representation of our native bird life, flora and fauna.
FashioNZ finds out more
What is the inspiration behind this design?
This design is inspired by our native manu (birds), specifically the five most recent Bird of the Year winners. I created original illustrations for the umbrella, focusing on each of the winner’s unique characteristics and brought them all together for one bold design that celebrates our native species. I wanted to create a design chock full of manu and have different illustrations all around the umbrella, so every panel has a different scene. The overall vibe is a natural one, with a neutral colour palette to complement the manu and make them the main focus.
To accompany the birds, I painted some leaves that I saw on forest walks such as kawakawa, kōwhai, and pūriri. I nestled the foliage among the birds to enhance the
natural feel of the design.
How would you describe your style?
As a nature lover, I’m drawn to all things natural; I’m all about natural materials and blending in with my surroundings. That filters through into my illustration style, which I think of as authentic and true to the subject, while being modern and bold. I aim to illustrate birds in such a way that emphasises their most distinguishable features while showing a bit of their personalities.
What inspires you as an artist?
Our native birds inspire me endlessly and in so many ways. We’re lucky to have such a variety of incredible birds in Aotearoa. I absolutely love exploring sanctuaries, offshore islands, and birding hot spots where I spend time watching birds, snapping photos, and getting inspired. I’m lucky to have lots of native birds visit my garden daily, so I’m never far from inspiration. Volunteering in conservation has enhanced my love for birds; it has given me a much deeper understanding and appreciation of
each individual bird’s life and that translates into my illustration too.
What has been your favourite part about collaborating with BLUNT?
I’ve absolutely loved creating this design to celebrate Bird of the Year with BLUNT. Their umbrellas are the only ones tough enough to cope with life in windy Wellington; flimsy umbrellas just aren’t an opinion here. I appreciate the fact that they’re made to last and look incredible too. BLUNT are amazing at highlighting the artists they collaborate with. I appreciate that they showcase both the artist and the inspiration behind each of their umbrella designs.
What is your favourite part of working with Forest & Bird?
I was quite honoured that Forest & Bird asked me to design the Bird of the Year umbrella canopy. Forest & Bird are an incredible advocate for nature and they do amazing work fighting to preserve and protect what I love about Aotearoa, our natural environment. I’m so happy to have been given the opportunity to design this umbrella to celebrate Bird of the Year.
Bird of the Year is such a great time for bird nerds around the country to flock together and support their favourite birds. It’s also an amazing way to introduce the public to birds that they may not know about. It brings awareness of the plights our native species are facing and at the same time, gets the whole country buzzing about our amazing wildlife.
Forest & Bird Bird of the Year 2022
Voting is now open for the Bird of the Year 2022, closing at 5pm on 30 October, with the winner announced on the morning of 31 October. The pekapeka tou roa long-tailed bat was crowned Bird of the Year for 2021. New Zealand only has two land mammals, and they’re both bats. You can find out more about Bird of the Year and how to vote online.
Images supplied