If Only… (Thylacine)

Graphite on Cotton Rag paper (Sold)

53 cm W x 75 cm H
The Tasmanian Tiger (Thylacinus cynocephalus) meaning dog-headed pouched-dog, was a large carnivorous marsupial now believed to be extinct.  Once roaming all of mainland Australia it is estimated there were around 5000 thylacines in Tasmania at the time of European settlement. Shamefully, whilst its decline and extinction was hastened by habitat destruction and introduced diseases from dogs, largely its demise was due to human persecution and hunting as an alleged pest. Sadly, the last known thylacine died from exposure at a Zoo in Hobart on 7 September 1936 only two months after the species was granted protected status.
Not having a live specimen to draw from, I taped “stripes” to my cattle dog and used her as the basis for this artwork, refining the details as I worked.