Figure

TONY PRIDHAM Black Falcon Falco niger and Mulga Parrots Psephotellus varius. Oil on canvas, 54 × 51 cm; 2019. The painting is based on the artist’s encounter with a newly fledged Black Falcon attempting to catch Mulga Parrots in Hattah-Kulkyne National Park, over thirty years ago. More recently, Bernie McRitchie’s photos of the falcon triggered the memory. Pridham painted the scene with a white sky, which didn’t work, and the painting was retired under the bed. Later, he filled in the vivid blue sky so typical of Australia, and the painting finally felt complete.