A Comfortable Seat

Pastel on Colour Fix Art Spectrum paper ($POA)

39 cm W x 58 cm H
The Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial, and an integral part of the Australian bush. They usually sleep for 20 hours a day, perched high up in eucalyptus trees. Their diet consists exclusively of these leaves, considered poisonous to most other animals. The word ‘Koala’ is thought to mean ‘no drink’ in the Australian Aboriginal language, however koalas do drink especially during heatwaves and in times of drought. Koalas are in serious danger of becoming extinct by 2050 due to deforestation, drought and bushfires.
This little guy is “Arni”, a northern koala (their fur is shorter and more silvery-grey than their southern cousins). He is a lovely gentle male, almost in his prime, who happily resides at the Byron Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, in northern NSW.