Pastel on Supertooth paper

74 X 38 cm.

This swamp wallaby lives right near where we take our big dog Rags for his regular swim session. Like all swamp wallabies he is intensely curious and not all that phased by our presence as we drive past. Usually, he just watches curiously for a minute or two before hopping further into the long grass where he continues to observe until we are gone.

Swamp wallabies have a low, humped gait with the long dark, thick tail carried outstretched and low also. This has given rise to hundreds of presumed black panther 'sightings' in eastern Australia where they live and I confess has caused experts great frustration when explaining to 'believers' just why we do not have panthers running wild in the Australian bush. One of the most primitive of the macropods, its dentition is different to other wallabies and the swampie is at present categorised in its very own genus of Wallabia.

For me swampies are always kind of naïve and trusting and will frequently allow me to approach very close.... although not with my scary big dog of course.

This pastel painting allowed me to use that quality of softness which is unique to the pastel medium to obtain the subtlety which best shows the delicate lighting of this special moment.