SAWTELL-raised musician artist Skotty Fairclough has often pivoted throughout his creative career, turning his talents to ever-emerging fresh inspirations.

At 45, he has come out of a twelve-month hiatus from commissions to create a new series of works, made available to all as high quality prints in a multitude of options.

The subjects are birds and his style is bright and bold with a nod to his former fame as “the Psychedelic artist”.

The originals are being exhibited at Woolgoolga’s Ground Earth Café throughout summer.

Skotty is still surprised at his latest artistic direction.

“I didn’t choose the bird life, the bird life chose me,” he said.

Until a few years ago, he had never painted so much as a single feather.

When a friend and close career mentor suggested he would love to own one of the artist’s curious works, but couldn’t see himself hanging an “out there” creation, it prompted Skotty to jokingly paint a “perfectly normal” Australian Magpie.

A single social media post of the painting kicked off a keen following, and interest in Skotty’s bird works soared.

Selling out his first paintings before the body of work made it to his planned exhibition, he began a second series which did make it to exhibition but also sold out within weeks.

Skotty has had to factor the surprise success of his hyper-coloured bird paintings into his working musical life.

He runs the music course at Coffs Harbour TAFE in addition to continuing with painting for pleasure, purpose and purchase.

“Hyper-Kolour Native” will be launched at Ground Earth on Saturday, 16 November.

By Andrea FERRARI