Inspiration: One of our national treasures in their natural habitat, doing what they do best! Soaking up the winter sun this Koala was more than happy to catch up on beauty sleep. These arboreal fluff balls are one of my favourite animals to draw since they are so very good at holding still! No matter the day I’m always happy to spend hours rendering out the fur and getting lost in all their gentle detail.

The Koala is a nocturnal arboreal marsupial and a highly specialised folivore (a leaf eating herbivore). With such a specialised diet that is highly toxic and poor in nutrition, they have physically adapted with the ability to digest these compounds. This is accomplished through slow digestion, fermentation processes, and conserving as much energy as possible. Combining inactivity for digestion and nocturnal behaviour, it is unusual to find one in their natural habitat that is not sleeping during daylight hours.

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