ADELAIDE RIVER
$3,450
This magnificent and almost pristine river has been a source of fascination and artistic inspiration for the 30 years I have lived in the Territory. I fear for the future of its remarkable inhabitants, for some, it is their last refuge. A few of these creatures appear in my watercolour, including:
Pelicans (Pelecanus conspicillatus) and Black kites (Milvus migrans); Black and Little Red fruit bats (Pteropus alecto and P.scapulatus) in Bambusa arnhemensis;
Sea eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster); Pied and Black cormorants (Phalacrocorax varius and P. sulcirostris); Brolgas (Grus rubicunda); Jabiru (Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus – near threatened); Egrets (Ardea alba, Egretta garzetta); Little pied herons (Egretta picata); Magpie Geese (Anseranas semipalmata); Spoonbills (Platalea regia);
Agile wallabies (Macropus agilis); Nankeen night heron (Nycticorax caledonicus); Long necked and Northern yellow-faced turtles (Chelodina rugosa and Emydura tanybaraga); the endangered Northern snapping turtle (Elseya Dentata ) (thanks to Etienne Littlefair for the images); Rupert (Canis dubius);
River Shark (Glyphis glyphis – critically endangered– and thanks to Dave Wilson for the image); Saltwater and Freshwater crocodiles (Crocodylis porosus and C.johnsoni); Freshwater Whipray (Urogymnus dalyensis – endangered); Largetooth sawfish; Pristis pristis (critically endangered); Catfish (Neosilurus hyrtlii); Barramundi (Lates calcarifer); Tarpon (Megalops cyprinoides – vulnerable); Saratoga (Scleropages jardini near threatened); Banded grunter (Amniataba peprcoides); Glass fish (Ambassis mackleayi); endemic Rainbow fishes (Melanotaenia spp); Blue eye (Pseudomugil tenellus);
Rainbow serpent (Liasis fuscus); Rakali (Hydromys chrysogaster);
Rocket and Northern Pobblebonk frogs (Litoria nasuta and Limnodynases convexiusculus); some sandsheet flowers; Mertens’ and Mitchell’s water monitors (Varanus mertensi – endangered -and critically endangered V. mitchelli )
The watercolour is dedicated to my late beloved husband, Captain Mike Bowman, who provided the navigation maps which were my starting reference for this work. He came to know the River from conducting marine examinations for the Coxwains who sailed the crocodile cruises. We explored the River together, sometimes by boat, at other times flying down-stream and up-stream over Escape Cliffs and the Estuary. His jungle navigation skills never failed, even when we tried to walk to the River’s source.
Watercolour on 300gsm CP Arches Paper
210 x 80cm
Artist Statement: Alison Worsnop paints with the Territory landscape as her inspiration and its fauna and flora as her reference. Her artwork captures her fascination with the forms, colours and views that evolve as nature adapts to the beautiful but increasingly harsh climate of the wet-dry tropics. Her artistic practice merges scientific observation with a love of animals and plants.
Alison Worsnop has an Honours degree in Natural Science (Zoology) from Oxford University and has exhibited her art in Oxford, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Sydney and Darwin. Awards include the Katherine Prize in 2015 and the Flinders University Palaeontology Art Prize in 2021. She teaches art at Darwin Adult Short Courses.
Contact Tactile Arts on 08 8981 6616 or admin@tactilearts.org.au to purchase.
