Day 24 of the Inktober Challenge. Prompt word 24 is “fairy”.
A wish from the Emu Fairy. You may have not known that emu fairies existed but here is proof that they do. 🙂
may all your dreams come true
The “May All Your Dreams Come True” painting was first drawn with an Artline pen and then watercolour paint was added. I painted it on 310gsm watercolour paper, approximately 21 x 26 cm, and it has my full name and signature on the back.
Original watercolour painting titled: Off with the Owls
An emu, with a passion for owls, is off. Where are they going? I’m not sure. Maybe to an owl convention, an owl’s birthday party or to find some fairies??
I love drawing and painting strutting emus! I remembered to draw this one walking the opposite direction. Is it something about being right-handed that I automatically draw everything going in a leftward direction???
This emu isn’t power-walking, she’s bubble-walking. 😊😊
It’s always a pleasant surprise when you enter a gallery to do gallery duty and you discover some blank spaces on the wall! Two, of three of my original paintings, from the Down by the Sea series that I painted, sold.
Without wings, emus’ feet become their hands in my paintings. It’s a brilliant way to work humour into my paintings.
I painted this greeting card called “Lovebirds” because Valentine’s Day is around the corner.
Lovebirds
The origin of Valentine’s Day is not definite. Historically, February has been celebrated as the month of romance and St. Valentine’s Day has connections to both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. Who was, and how, did Saint Valentine become associated with this day is unclear. This link provides some theories and possibilities about who St. Valentines was and the evolution of Valentines Day. https://www.history.com/topics/valentines-day/history-of-valentines-day-2
Through the centuries Valentine’s Day has evolved and changed, and spread across the globe into Australia, and consequently, its spread is now encompassing the Australian emu!
The emu is quite well represented in this Love Pack of greeting cards that I have put together.
Holding Hands
Each greeting card is featuring a love theme. The beauty of a greeting card is that the recipient can get that warm, fuzzy feeling over and over again, each time they read its penned words. Some may choose to frame the cards. It’s a gift that keeps on giving and the recipient could be wearing the smile you gave them for weeks, and in this case all year, if you spread the love pack out over the year.
The Yaraka Hotel in outback Queensland, Australia, has banned entry to Kevin and Carol emus, and as a consequence gained worldwide notoriety, as the story has gone viral. The world is in need of some light-hearted news during the COVID-19 pandemic and this story seems to be fulfilling some of this demand.
A local Animal Rescuer, Leanne Byrne, found an abandoned emu nest of eggs and raised the clutch of emus. Kevin’s and Carol’s brothers and sisters have moved on, but this pair remained and endeared themselves to the locals and visitors alike.
Leanne Byrne poses for a photo with one of her feathery babies.
A rift developed after Kevin and Carol learnt how to climb stairs to gain entry into the pub.
The inquisitive emus were captured on digital by pub customer and visiting tourist Sam Guzzardi.
The pair caused havoc by eating guests’ food and leaving messy, smelly deposits behind, which the pub owner wasn’t too thrilled about having to clean up each time it happened, and apparently emu toileting needs are frequent!
The emus are no longer allowed in the Yaraka Hotel after a spate of bad behaviour.(Supplied: Chris Gimblett)
In order to maintain a good working relationship, the owner of the pub set up emu barricades, citing ‘bad emu behaviour’ as making this a necessary action.
The hotel has erected barricades and put up signs urging tourists to keep the emus out.(Supplied: Chris Gimblett)
Kevin and Carol aren’t the only emus strutting there stuff around town. I’ve captured other emus in their strutting action too.
Bright & Breezy
Walking with Flair
A Fashion af-Flair
Take care everybody and be careful around misbehaving emus.
I had the car packed on Friday, ready to go for Saturday’s Salamanca Market, but at the 11th hour I decided not to go because of the Coronavirus. I imagine that it will be officially cancelled next week because Prime Minister Morrison of Australia announced that starting tomorrow, gatherings of over 500 are to be cancelled. I’m not sure, but that is my guess.
In the meantime, it gave me some time to paint and finish off some of the paintings that I have started.
I’ve started a “Down by the Seaside” series. I think I will name this one “Footsies”
There’s a hole in my stocking, dear Liza, dear Liza!!
The Tasmanian Emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae deimenensis), now extinct, was endemic to Tasmania. It is reported to have been similar in shape to the Australia’s mainland emu but smaller and darker (Dove 1924; Green 1989; Le Souëf 1904). This subspecies lived in Tasmania’s wild until about 1865, and a captive bird lived until 1873 (Green 1989; Le Souëf 1904). The Tasmanian emus suffered the fate of extinction before the thylacine, the Tasmanian tiger. The bird was hunted relentlessly when Europeans were clearing and deposing Aborigines off their land.
There is little known about the Tasmanian Emu but researchers report that they played an important role in Tasmania’s ecology by distributing seeds across the state. Apparently emus eat just about anything, travel up to fifty kilometres a day and each poo deposit can have thousands of seeds in it.
Photo by Tristan Durham: an emu scant with seeds growing out of it on Wilson’s Promontory, Victoria
A study has commenced on the mainland of Australia, in south-east Victoria, examining which plants emus are eating, by examining their poo, with the intention of studying the current distribution of these plants in Tasmania. Emu poo contains the anticipated native seeds and bracken but surprisingly, whole Sheoak cones are also found in the poo which leads to the conclusion that emus aren’t fussy about what they pick up and swallow whole.
This study is aimed to provide insight into whether the emu should be re-introduced into Tasmania. Personally, I think it shouldn’t. It’s not a Tasmanian Emu and there is bound to be something unknown about the mainland emu that is detrimental for the Tasmanian environment.
In the meantime, my emus have not been wandering around in Tasmania’s wilderness instead they have been visiting the Op-Shops and have purchased some funky outfits.
The Unfurling Artist: journalising creative journeying 