Inspiration: Though Koalas are more solitary animals, they are some of the most exceptional mothers - caring for their babies and making sure they learn everything they need to know, no matter how long it takes. I wanted to show that unconditional love a mother has towards her child. Anything she can do to support them in their adventures, as a guide and a protector. I've composed this piece based on my observations, I've witnessed joeys reaching off their mother's backs to get to leaves and to see this endearing act is rather special. In an ever-changing world, perhaps this should be our first lesson in the true support, protection and love of life.

The Koala is the most recognisable Australian marsupial. They are arboreal and nocturnal, meaning that they spend almost all of their lives in trees, sleep during the day, and feed at night. Generally solitary, they are observed together during the breeding season or in a maternal relationship of mother and joey. The female Koala has the sole responsibility of caring for the young. Like all marsupials, the neonate is born with enough physical development to crawl its way into the mother’s pouch and latch onto a teat. At 22 weeks, it will have the ability to poke its head out. By 24 weeks it will have ingested mother’s microflora providing the ability to digest eucalypt. By 36 weeks Joey is busy learning about what to (and what not to) eat from its mother. Joey will remain close to mother even up to a year after the next offspring comes along. 

FUN FACTS

• Mother Koalas have their work cut out for them! When it’s time to prepare the pouch for the next little one - they sometimes find the only way to get little joey to stop suckling is to spank him!

• By the time Joey is 1 year old, Mother Koala has taught him what to (and what not to) eat among the 40 varieties of preferred eucalyptus species of trees.

This piece forms part of a themed collection that is focused on protected, threatened, and endangered Australian species. Through the expansion of European settlement, many species have been displaced by human encroachment, changing fire patterns, victims of predation, or have been exposed to disease. Raising awareness remains as the most significant challenge in the effort to reduce these possible outcomes. These represent the absence of the existence of wildlife in their natural environments.

This series has specifically utilised heat, flame, and soot to achieve the varying golden browns and charcoal greys present in the finished artwork.