Pardalote Chorus Tasmanian Pardalotes on vintage 1919 pages from a book of collected music

Verified Artist Certificate of Authenticity Included

Framed by Artist

A$2,990

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Artwork Details

Medium Acrylic, Paper, Framed by Artist
Dimensions 42cm (W) x 84.8cm (H) x 4cm (D)
Review Stars 21,229 Customer Reviews
Original Artwork
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Tuesday, Jun 09 - Thursday, Jun 11

Artwork Description

This piece features the three species of Pardalotes found in Tasmania – the Spotted Pardalote, Striated Pardalote and the critically endangered Forty-Spotted Pardalote.

The composition of the piece fantasises a meeting of all three species in their favoured Eucalypt habitat searching for insects amongst the branches, leaves and trunk and chasing the highly sought after sugary casing (lerp) extruded by insects of the family Psyllidae. One can imagine the conversations had between individuals discussing the merits of certain feeding locations through a chorus of song.

The birds are depicted in a realistic manner while the other components show varying levels of completeness often fading into the page. The colour swash down the piece uses colours mirroring the eucalypt environment and some of the colours of the birds.

Artist Bio

Craig is a professional artist predominately painting birds but also producing works with a wildlife focus across a range of mediums including graphite pencil, colour pencil, charcoal, ink, watercolour and acrylic. The range of portrayed subjects are as varied as the medium in which they are produced ranging from the majesty of the big cats through to the grace of birds and the intricacies of insects plus all in between. Often the choice of medium and style will reflect either the subject matter itself or the type of evocative response sought from the piece.

The current focus of work is specialising in portraying birds on vintage book pages. The subject has a relationship to the page content sometimes direct and literal but also oblique. The painterly but realistic portrayal of the birds on the page sit proudly against the backdrop of the page content and yet become a part of the page itself. The pages themselves are sourced from books found in thrift shops and the story of these book pages are enhanced as they start a new life as an artwork. Any marks and blemishes on the page are a testament to that story.

The works have a focus on realism but will often retail a 'painterly' or 'drawn' quality allowing for not only a focus on the subject matter itself but also the dedication to detail and technique needed to produce such works and similarly reflecting on the complexity of the subject and of the relationships in the natural world. The variation in styles allows for each new work to exhibit a freshness and newness with some subjects being portrayed in varying styles and medium engendering the viewer to focus on different aspects of the subject. Many pieces are produced with the subject against a stark untouched background of paper allowing the structure and form, light and shadow, pattern and texture to become the focus of the piece and the subject.

The immense time invested into each piece reflect Craig's formal scientific background and engender works that are high in detailed accuracy.

Craig has been formerly employed as a scientific illustrator in an Australian regional museum where he was producing pieces for scientific research, scientific journals, scientific papers, reconstructions, palaeontological displays, general exhibitions, interpretive illustration and general signage.

Works are currently held in private collections around Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States. Europe and New Zealand.

Commissions

Craig's studio is in Launceston, Tasmania, Australia