Inspiration: Australia has such a wide variety of birds across our land and to me, these Cockatoos are some of the most beautiful! This piece is so very dear to my friend’s heart and she has asked me to keep the Major Mitchell name in memory of her grandfather, who was a renowned stockman and Aboriginal man. He taught her that the past should be forgiven and that you cannot live a life with hate in your heart as it will poison you. 

A special thanks to Caroline Robinson for her reference photo.

Artworks by Maegan Oberhardt highlight many species of wildlife native to Australia. This piece forms part of a collection of artwork that expands environments, composition, and the use of compatible media within the piece. The primary connection within her art is in the technique. It is man-made fire burning paper (which is a by-product of trees). This comments on the conflict between man and nature. The result of that conflict is that most wild species are directly impacted by man’s carbon footprint.

This series has used soot and Watercolour to achieve the variety of tones present in the finished artwork.