5/14/2026

Lesser Kestrel (Falco Naumanni)

This painting is called Worth The Wait. As the title suggests, it’s a piece about patience.

My paintings take a long time to make because every brushstroke is applied with a lot of attention. I have to trust the process and slowly build the image, layer upon layer, until the painting begins to reveal itself. So as an artist, I believe it is true that good things come to those who wait. Not passively, but fully present and engaged with the moment.

The bird in this painting is a male lesser kestrel. An elegant little falcon and a very effective, specialized hunter of large insects and small rodents. A raptor’s success relies on a combination of highly specialized physical adaptations, keen senses, and strategic behavioral skills, patience being one of them. Sometimes it can take a long time before the perfect opportunity presents itself. For the kestrel, the little mouse it finally catches is surely worth the wait.

But what requires even more patience than hunting is waiting for the true star of this painting to yield its treasure.

The magnificent tree on which the kestrel sits is a cork oak. It is a slow-growing evergreen cultivated for its bark, the origin of cork. After harvesting, the tree requires a full decade of undisturbed growth before its bark can be collected again. This slow process reminds us that some of the most valuable things in life take time, and that patience is not only necessary but deeply rewarding.

Unfortunately, patience has become something of a lost virtue in today’s fast-paced digital world, which often favors instant gratification over long-term endurance. The problem is that when we are impatient, the mind resists the present moment and wants the future to arrive sooner.

But the present moment is really all there is. Fulfillment is found in how conscious we are right now. When we fully accept the present moment, waiting is no longer a problem.

I sometimes lose track of time when I’m painting because I become completely absorbed in the process. I may even forget about my cup of tea, only noticing it when it has gone completely cold. In moments like that, patience is not something you force. It arises naturally when you are fully present. Every time I step back from a completed work, I’m reminded that the slow, attentive process is always worth the wait.

WORTH THE WAIT

40 x 80 cm. (15.7" x 31.5")

Available - email: robert@nitiredjo.com