Eastern Grey Kangaroos at Grampians National Park

Eastern Grey Kangaroos at Grampians National Park.
Watercolour pencils on paper, 40 x 30 cm,  © Matteo Grilli 2015 

 For this artwork I made the exception of using watercolour pencils, a medium I haven't been using often recently. I enjoyed very much to see how the colours change with the lightest touch of a moist brush, it almost felt like a new work was magically developing quickly right under my hands.

I saw a large mob of Eastern grey Kangaroos while visiting the Grampians National Park in western Victoria, here they are represented in the beautiful valley around Hall's Gap which is surrounded by very wild, rugged and beautiful mountains as well as heaps of wildlife including Kangaroos, Emus, Ekidnas and many species of birds including the Powerful Owl.

This original artwork is now for sale on my online shop which will be having a break from October 4th until November 1st, I will be enjoying new adventures with a long-awaited visitor from overseas... so, in case someone wants to avoid the November Christmas rush for art presents, I would suggest to order your gifts in September.

 Bush Heritage Australia is launching a campaign to raise funds to purchase and protect land to studying and conserving the endangered and recently re-discovered Night Parrot, thought to be extinct until two years ago. To find out more, please follow this link and if you wish, make a donation to support the project.

All the best,

Matteo

Young Red Kangaroo

This image is available as a greeting card

Work in progress...

First sketch

Koala

December News

I found this beautiful butterfly in a flower bed in the Brisbane City centre. Dead. It is a Lime or Chequered Swallowtail, Papilio demoleus. I decided to pick it up and as gently as possible I placed it in my bag. Unfortunately it lost both antennas, but still retained its beauty. I find it surprising how butterflies maintain their beauty for so long after dying.

The November/December issue of the Australian Wildlife Secrets Magazine , a beautiful magazine full of great photography and useful informations on Australian wildlife, just featured an illustration of mine of Common Ringtail possums, one of the cutest night creatures of the suburbs. Australian Wildlife Secrets is published bi-monthly and is available through newsagencies or by subscription and delivered to your door (Australia wide and overseas). Here are two images of the latest issue:

Another awesome wildlife magazine that recently featured my work is WILDLIFE Australia Magazine , published quarterly since 1963 by the community conservation group Wildlife Queensland as a major environmental awareness and educational initiative. The magazine is only available for subscribers both in Australia and overseas. Here are two images of the latest issue:

 To the Chief Editor of Australian Wildlife Secrets, Simon Watharow and to the Editor of WILDLIFE Australia Magazine, Saren Starbridge, goes my most sincere thank you for taking interest in my work.

For those interested into buying my original artworks , I would like to tell you that you are still in time to get them before Christmas if you are in Australia, at no shipping cost. No cost worldwide shipping will be available for all original artworks only until January 1st 2013.

Since this will be my last post for 2012, I would like to thank everybody who have been following and supporting my artistic endeavours, this last year has been really special in so many ways. 

Regardless of your religion or cultural background, I would like to wish you the best time spent with loved ones and a New Year full of inspiration, gratitude, beauty, good humour, good luck and wildlife!

Matteo

Koalas

The pretty face of one of Australia's icons is very well used in any possible way. Yet the population has been nominated as national threatened, although populations vary according to areas. Dog attacks, car accidents, chlamydia and even illegal shooting... not to mention all the natural tricks and worries caused naturally by the Australian environment, make their lives hard. The Brisbane Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, http://www.koala.net/index.php , the oldest and largest (over 130 koalas) sanctuary in Australia, collaborates with Universities and the Government to research and protect koalas and to educate people to behave properly. Their motto is 'The Earth is not only for humans'.

I see koalas as beautiful even when not directly whatching us, which is pretty much most of the time.