This fantastic quail by Nicolás Morales looks like it’s made of pure sunlight and cornfields. The rounded body is painted in glowing shades of gold, orange, and ember-red, crossed by Morales’ signature bands of tiny geometric designs that recall Zapotec textiles and ancient fretwork. From above, you can see an almost feather-like fan of patterns radiating down the back, each row a different combination of triangles, dots, and lines that shimmer as you move around the piece.
The quail’s head is charmingly stylized, with an elongated beak and a dramatic turquoise plume framing the face like a miniature ceremonial headdress. Its beak points gently toward the ground, as if it has just discovered a seed or is foraging in a sunny Oaxacan field. The feet and tail are kept simple so the eye stays on the extraordinary painting: warm yellows and magentas, bordered in turquoise and black, all perfectly balanced to emphasize the bird’s elegant, teardrop shape. Spectacular!
