“Keep your friends close”
Oil & ink on cradled birch wood panel
42cm wide x 60cm high
owned by a private collector
I think all Australians or anyone who has travelled to our shores will recognise the loud and bright Rainbow Lorikeet. These important pollinators are often fiercely defending their food from other birds with brash screams that can be quite deafening if you are near a flock. They are as my mum would say “common as muck” and are classed as “least concern” on the IUCN Redlist. As are our red-necked wallaby.
I am having to bust out some colours that I don’t normally use for this one.
Building layers of colour on this rainbow lorikeet. Boy did it take layers of so many colours.
This work is drawn on Fabriano paper mounted on a birch wooden panel and varnished so no need for glass. It is framed and ready to hang.
My favourite part of working with animal art is capturing the expression and making each animal an individual.
This is what I refer to as the “ugly stage”. I have had an idea, drawn it up and started to block colour in but it just looks horrid. Part of making the magic happen.