Medium:
Objective:
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Charcoal (chosen as it is made from burnt wood) on Paper (also made from wood)
designed as gallery art and for a Drawing competition
I wanted to show that after the destructive force of the wildfire, life reasserts itself. I chose the Banksia heathland as it won't regenerate unless its seed has been exposed to smoke. I learned in research that the Europeans did not find a use for Banksias (also known as Honeysuckle) and clearfelled large swathes of land leaving wildlife to die from starvation. Europeans were seduced by iconic paintings of the bush completely ignorant that gum trees were just survivors of this Banksia devastation. It is still the case today, that the Banksia forests are misunderstood and the wildlife are clinging onto the remnants where once their food was in abundance. It shows how vital backyard plantings of banksia and other nectar creating plants and shrubs really are. |
