Bullfinch
Caspar, Age 12
I was inspired to create this linocut and print, as the Bullfinch is my favourite British bird. It has a bright pinkish-red chest and it can mimic other bird calls. In the 16th century, it was brave enough to pinch Henry VIII's apples! Henry VIII condemned their 'criminal attacks' on fruit trees, but the King wasn't fast enough to chop off their heads, so there was an Act of Parliament which declared that one penny would be paid for every bird killed. I used lino as I wanted to use a lino-cutting blade to create mark-making for the feathers.