Inspiration: One of the most defining features of our beloved kookaburra is not only their iconic laugh but the blue highlights on their wings. Not as stand out as other kingfishers but subtle enough to still catch your eye. It reminded me of our native Blue-banded Bees so I thought of the two as fitting companions for their harmony of colours. Though I try to stay as true to the flames as I can, adding the watercolour in the artwork just makes it a bit more… ‘Merry’, for our native King.

The Laughing Kookaburra is the largest bird in the Kingfisher family. It is stout, stocky, has a large head,  and a very large bill. The male and female have similar colouring, with the female being slightly larger and has less blue to the rump. 
In the 1930s it inspired a famous children’s song written by music teacher Marion Sinclair for the 1934 Girl Guides Jamboree. The song was originally titled “Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree” and soon gained world-wide popularity for the kookaburra alongside other unique and iconic Australian animals such as the koala and kangaroo. 

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 had a foundation of watercolour painted on the sketch to create a more accurate depiction of the subject. In addition, soot was utilised to achieve the variety of charcoal greys present in the finished artwork.