There's a robin who visits my garden each winter morning, perching on frost-covered branches as the world holds its breath in the quiet before dawn. I live in Froncysyllte, high on a hillside overlooking the Dee Valley, where our garden backs onto an old limestone quarry turned wild woodland. This piece grew from those encounters—a celebration of the small guardians who bring warmth to the coldest months.
In Welsh folklore, the robin is a bird of the threshold—connected to the Otherworld, a guide between seasons, a keeper of hearth fires and winter light. To welcome a robin is to welcome blessing.
Created through patient layers of dip pen and ink, watercolour, and coloured pencil, the work captures that sense of hidden magic where the robin shelters in tangled ivy and shadow. The intricate linework builds up like winter itself—dark, dense, and alive—with that bright flash of orange breaking through like a flame in the forest.
The original is created on heavyweight 300gsm watercolour paper, allowing the delicate washes and precise ink work to shine. Each mark is intentional, each line part of a slow, meditative process that echoes the patience of watching wildlife.
©2026 Hannah Forde. All rights reserved
About the artwork
Dimensions: 42cm x 29.7cm (A3)
Materials: Dip pen and ink, watercolour, coloured pencil on 300gsm watercolour paper
Signed: Hand-signed by the artist on the front
This is a one-of-a-kind original artwork. Once sold, it cannot be recreated.
Includes: Certificate of Authenticity
Shipping choices: Unframed - wrapped in acid free tissue paper and shipped carefully packaged in a cardboard tube, tracked and insured delivery.
Framed - in rigid protective materials with tracked, insured delivery. UK shipping included; international shipping available upon request. Professional framing services available, process time will take longer for this service — please contact me for details.
Care: Frame behind glass or acrylic to protect from UV light and dust. Avoid direct sunlight and humid environments to preserve the watercolours.
There's a robin who visits my garden each winter morning, perching on frost-covered branches as the world holds its breath in the quiet before dawn. I live in Froncysyllte, high on a hillside overlooking the Dee Valley, where our garden backs onto an old limestone quarry turned wild woodland. This piece grew from those encounters—a celebration of the small guardians who bring warmth to the coldest months.
In Welsh folklore, the robin is a bird of the threshold—connected to the Otherworld, a guide between seasons, a keeper of hearth fires and winter light. To welcome a robin is to welcome blessing.
Created through patient layers of dip pen and ink, watercolour, and coloured pencil, the work captures that sense of hidden magic where the robin shelters in tangled ivy and shadow. The intricate linework builds up like winter itself—dark, dense, and alive—with that bright flash of orange breaking through like a flame in the forest.
The original is created on heavyweight 300gsm watercolour paper, allowing the delicate washes and precise ink work to shine. Each mark is intentional, each line part of a slow, meditative process that echoes the patience of watching wildlife.
©2026 Hannah Forde. All rights reserved
About the artwork
Dimensions: 42cm x 29.7cm (A3)
Materials: Dip pen and ink, watercolour, coloured pencil on 300gsm watercolour paper
Signed: Hand-signed by the artist on the front
This is a one-of-a-kind original artwork. Once sold, it cannot be recreated.
Includes: Certificate of Authenticity
Shipping choices: Unframed - wrapped in acid free tissue paper and shipped carefully packaged in a cardboard tube, tracked and insured delivery.
Framed - in rigid protective materials with tracked, insured delivery. UK shipping included; international shipping available upon request. Professional framing services available, process time will take longer for this service — please contact me for details.
Care: Frame behind glass or acrylic to protect from UV light and dust. Avoid direct sunlight and humid environments to preserve the watercolours.
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