A Traditional Journey Toward Dystopia

sacboi

Damn scary shit we're living through at the moment plus 'ScoMo' (Australian Prime Minister) has just announced a total nationwide lock down which basically means legally enforced both International & Domestic travel ban, State/Territory border closures/controls, shutdown of schools, non essential businesses/services, all about to kick off during the upcoming week.

Oh! and that's on top of our current ongoing record breaking drought and recent 2019-20 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019%E2%80%9320_Australian_bushfire_season devastating bushfire season.

sacboi

Finally making a start on this series of acrylic paintings which will either comprise of concept designs, environment visuals or indeed both (..we'll see) representing a personal impression living through a once in a hundred year "Black Summer" bushfire season for 8 months and frankly still mentally trying to accept had actually happened! plus further explore a selection of innovative technologies that may be potential solutions going forward, since this is without a doubt our new collective 'normal' here in AUS.

Refs:

 

In addition, not forgetting the unimaginable number of sustained insect, fauna and flora loss, estimated to be 3 billion animals had perished, spread across a broad range of species eg: reptiles, frogs, bats, birds too wombats, Emus, Koalas and Kangaroos/Wallabies alongside 72,000 square miles of woodland/alpine forestry totally burnt out, together with 30 people tragically losing their lives.

Anyways, worked on this over the weekend. A portrait of an "Old Man Emu" well more readily known by his adopted 'family' as Pepe, who has been a regular fixture living on a farm situated in eastern Victoria since 1966. So just as a tribute, not only because an Emu is depicted on the Australian coat of arms but from personal experience, they're renown for being tough like old boot leather however endearingly can be a bit of a character besides which thankfully he'd also managed to escape the fires.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-22/pepe-the-very-old-emu-living-stress-free/12480752 

Acrylic On Canvas (Preparatory - under painting)

birb

This is the most glorious emu I've ever seen! 

Seriously, there's nothing I don't love about that underpainting. The brushstrokes, the color choice and blending, it's so lovely I wouldn't bat an eye if you called it a day already. Quietly subscribing here hoping to see more of your style.

sacboi

Thank you for the kind words plus interesting feedback, worth thinking about since my reasoning for opening this thread was to somewhat at least, refresh skills long left dormant. So might just leave this one as is - with a few additional minor tweaks, then simply start another high rez'd version for in a sense, comparison.

   

Heh...also imo he certainly evokes that trait for being a 'character' especially when rock'n a mohawk 'feather / hairstyle', no less

Thanks again

Cheers.