Once

Description

Once

Two mute swans, necks curved toward each other in the classic courtship display, mirroring each other.

I painted this in January 2026 for an Instagram “love birds” challenge. Mute swans are probably the most recognisable paired bird in Britain, and for good reason. They mate for life. The title actually came from an old Right Said Fred song – Swan – I’m like a swan, I only love once.

The painting

Most of my work comes from my own reference photography, but for this challenge I didn’t have any suitable photos, so I used external reference from ArWeltAtty Attila on Pexels. I painted it in my Sheffield studio in January 2026, in oils on a 9 × 12” Ampersand Gessobord panel.

That’s larger than my usual 6 × 6” format. Two swans side by side need more room than a single garden bird on a perch, and a landscape composition made sense for this painting.

The background is a deep, loose green, guided by the reference, but more an impression of water and shadow. I kept it unspecific so it doesn’t pull focus from the birds. Painting at this size also gave me room to work the tonal variation in the feathers properly: swan white isn’t simple white. There’s blues, purples, and reflected colour throughout.

Framed or Unframed

Choose the framed option and it arrives ready to hang. The frame is natural ayous, a pale, lightweight hardwood, with a 7mm face and 21mm depth. The panel sits inside it with a 5mm gap all round, so the painted edge of the panel stays visible and the picture appears to float inside the frame rather than sitting against it. A flush mount is already fitted to the back for hanging.

If you would rather choose your own frame, you can buy it unframed. For advice please refer to How to Frame a Painting on a Panel.

Original artwork details

Specifications:

• Medium: Oil on gessobord panel
• Size: 9 × 12 inches (~ 23 × 30 cm)
• Depth: 0.3 cm (~ 1/8 inch)
• Available framed or unframed
• Framed size: approximately 25.3 × 32.9 cm (~ 10 × 13 inches)
• Frame: natural ayous, 7mm face, 21mm depth, 5mm float gap, flush mount fitted
• Year: 2026
• Signed on reverse

Shipping & care

Your painting will be carefully packaged with protective materials and shipped via Royal Mail within 3-5 business days. The panel is robust and archival. Oil paintings on panel have been proven to last for centuries when properly cared for. Display away from direct sunlight and extreme humidity for best longevity.