Stephen was specifically asked to design a multi-bird box for a retailer. Not one to stint on his efforts, he managed to fit six birds on a 3 inch circular box! Goldfinch and a male Redstart feature on the lid, while inside the box is a male Linnet standing guard over a nest of eggs. To keep everything in scale, Steve opted for three smaller birds round the outside - Blue Tit, Wren and Firecrest. Each bird is painted on an appropriate background of foliage, blossom and fruit with a level of detail that provides constant interest and fascination.

Ever the perfectionist, Steve struggled at first to get a design for the outside which blended with the lid and met his high expectations. Over a period of two weeks he must have told me that he'd painted a design on the outside of a box and wiped it off at least three times! Meanwhile, the inside had already been painted and was awaiting firing, so great care had to be taken not to smudge the design, which is one of the secrets of the "inside-outside" technique.

The end result was definitely worth waiting for - the web images just can't do it justice. I've examined most of Steve's work since the launch of Moorcroft Enamels and personally I think this is the finest piece I've seen. Had this been produced for Moorcroft Enamels I doubt whether any purchaser would have had much change from £1500, or even £2000. There is just so much work involved in painting six separate species with detailed backgrounds to this exacting standard.

Inevitably, all freehand painted pieces differ slightly in detail and colour - this is a very demanding hand craft. One trial piece exists with more marked variations in colour from the edition of 10. Steve also painted a series of very small plaques with the same six birds (but different designs) at the request of his Canadian retailer, wildlife paintings being hugely popular in North America.