Watchful Eye Kea Bird

A portrait-format depiction of a kea (Nestor notabilis), the alpine parrot endemic to the South Island of New Zealand. The title's emphasis on the watchful eye indicates a tight crop that foregrounds the bird's gaze, a compositional choice that departs from the wider habitat-and-perch staging typical of historical [kacho-e](/glossary/kacho-e) (bird-and-flower prints) by Hiroshige and Koson. Within a relief medium, the kea's mottled olive-brown plumage and orange underwing flashes lend themselves to layered colour blocks and selective [bokashi](/glossary/bokashi) shading at the wing edges. As a subject, the kea carries weight in the region as an endangered endemic and a known disturber of human encampments, so its inclusion in White's catalogue places her within the Oceania practice of using mokuhanga and linocut to record native fauna. The piece sits alongside her landscape and forest prints as part of an environment-focused body of work.