Signed 'Rae Norridge' (lower left)
Oil on Canvas
78.5 x 78.5 cms / 31 x 31 inches
 
Menage à Trois presents three pheasants grouped within tall, moisture-laden grass beneath a low, grey sky. Two vividly coloured cocks flank a more subdued hen positioned between them, their long tail feathers extending and crossing to create a subtle visual tension across the foreground. The birds are shown at close range and at eye level, their upright stances and slight turns of the head suggesting alertness and awareness of one another. Painted by Barbara Rae Norridge, the work draws on her sustained engagement with British game birds and their behaviour.