Acrylic on canvas, stretched and ready to hang.

Signed on the front.

Seeking Refuge
There was not much beauty left on NSW’s South Coast after fires tore through on New Year’s Eve, 2019. Those seeking refuge drifted into evacuation centres with tales of heroic escape, others with tales of tragic loss.

Blackie joined weary refugees after fires decimated the Clyde Mountain forests. Homeless, lost and disorientated, Blackie wandered the skies, crying out for friends and family. Sadly, hopes dwindled as the air remained silent and eerily thick with smoke.

In this painting I aimed to capture the bleakness of suffering and loss experienced on that day. However, more importantly, this painting seeks to capture the hope of the future. Blackie’s face captures the determination to live and the optimism to rebuild. Blackie is looking forward, but the slight tilt of the head provides a hint of the importance of the past. Blackie’s message, captured in the facial expression, is one of encouragement to move forward, but while moving forward we are also encouraged to learn from the past and use the lessons and wisdom from there to help us build the future.

We are at a tipping point; our decisions determine the future of all species. Blackie is saying “Choose wisely”.