Pastel on paper, ready to hang.

Signed on the front.

This artwork comes with an external frame

The Red-tailed Black Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus banksii) was the first cockatoo to be illustrated by colonial draftsman Sydney Parkinson. Although I feel this marks the beginning of our complicated relationship with Australia’s unique birdlife since colonisation. Through drawing I also understand the fascination and allure of native birds. This brave lady lives on Darug land in Sydney. I was enamored by her assemblage of feathers as she chatted and preened. Capturing the moment she became still, reminiscent of the night sky. Depicted on a vacant background, her isolation brings her into focus, displacing her relationship with a threatened landscape.