Charms peeled from the wood’s ancient hide 1 | 2025

Charms peeled from the wood’s ancient hide 1, watercolour and graphite, 10cm x 10cm (image), 27cm x 27cm (framed) in black timber with off-white mat, 2025 

This grasshopper was in full flight when it was caught in the grill of my car, its wings extended.  Its brilliant colours echo the colours of the kangaroo grass it was moving through.  The yellow winged grasshopper (Gastrimargus musicus) is a common grassland locust in Australia and India.  It only displays its yellow back wings in flight when it also emits a loud clicking sound. Themeda australis, or  kangaroo grass, is an important structural component of many grasslands in Australia it is common around Canberra, but its habitat is under increasing threat by development and land clearing.