Walking through the Daintree Rainforest was the spark of creativity local artist Murray Charteris needed to paint his eight-part series offering a commentary on mother nature and how the environment is a balancing act.
“Her name is Athyrium,” Mr Charteris said, in reference to the green human-like plant figure with a fern headdress, resting gracefully in the vines, while above, the watchful eye of a leopard keeps her safe while she sleeps during the night.
Eighty to 100 hours of painting time went into this jungle scene called End of the Nightwatch, part six of his Athyrium series. The eighth part to the collection is currently underway. Athyrium is always painted with some sort of animal or creature to show humans’ relationship to nature.
Mr Charteris strives to inspire us to see the world with more awareness for that delicacy.
“It’s got a bit of an environmental message about it, it’s about the symbiotic relationships with animals and creatures and the forest, and how everything fits together.”
Mr Charteris has been painting for as long as he can remember.
“The first drawing I remember doing was in preschool, it was a little formula one car, and that’s what set me on the road to learning how to draw,” he said.
“It was a really basic drawing, obviously, for a four-year-old, but it got enough attention from teachers and family members, just enough to inspire me to keep at it.”
Today he teaches drawing from his home studio.
The incredible detail of his artwork is not out of the realm of possibility for those who think they have no artistic merit whatsoever. He said people scare themselves out of progressing in art before they even pick up a pen, pencil, or brush.
“It’s not so much natural talent, it’s more a progression of learning,” he said.
“Anyone can learn how to draw, you’ve just got to spend time on it and go through a process.”
