Common Bentwing Bats on the Wing

Pastel on Canson paper ($POA)

63 cm W x 48 cm H
A brilliant fellow artist Andy Reimanis invited me to participate in a joint exhibition of local micro things, in the gallery at Murwillumbah on the banks of the Tweed River. I would represent microbats and he would represent microflora. What followed couldn’t have been scripted… Heavy rainfall in the wake of ex Cyclone Debbie in March 2017 caused major flooding in the states of Queensland and New South Wales. Mullumbimby recorded over 300 mm of rain in 24 hours and the Tweed River reached levels not seen for over 40 years. Authorities ordered over 20,000 people to evacuate their homes. The gallery was completely devastated. Our exhibition never materialised but the artwork had been completed thanks to the generous provision of reference material from Bruce Thomson of QNPWS and Terry Reardon from the South Australian Museum. This piece was one of those created during this time.