Wombat Whiskers

“Wombat Whiskers” Original Acrylic on Stretched Canvas 100cm x 76cm

Natalie’s Inspiration: “The afternoon light gave this fellow a warm glow, I just had to give him my soul attention in this painting. Wombats on Maria Island,  off the coast of Tasmania are absolutely beautiful.  They live on the island with no threat of predators,  vehicle strikes or mange. As a result,  they are a very mellow lot, that are not fearful of tourists. Keeping my distance as to get a very natural pose, I snapped a few shots with my camera.  My intention with this painting was to allow the viewer to have a quiet moment with this big woolly wombat, watching him peacefully going about his afternoon in the sun. No man-made noises like traffic,  just the gentle breeze and the quiet munching of this beautiful big fellow”.

Wombats are like tubby tanks with minds of their own.  Stout, sturdy and strong with the power to go where they want and by the most direct route.  Far from being muddle-headed, as the children’s stories suggest, the energetic burrower has a better developed brain than any other marsupial.  And its lumbering bear-like exterior masks a remarkably agile frame.  Its broad forepaws with strong, blunt claws help to make the wombat an earth-moving specialist.  The energetic burrower spends more than half its life underground.  It has a broad blunt head, inward pointing hind toes and a broad bottom which sways from side to side as it walks.  Emerging mainly at dusk it passes the night in solitary contentment on its regular nightly food run, searching for a variety of native grasses and sedges, travelling between 1 and 4 km each night.

Their colour varies from glossy black to grey, brown, sandy and cream.  It is one of the biggest animals in the world to dig burrows, which may extend for 30m.  It will dig at a rate of two metres per night.  Burrows are often used for many generations.  Several wombats may use the same burrow, usually at different times.  They are extremely strong and if chased into a burrow by a dog or fox the wombat will lift its rump and crush the attacker’s head against the roof of the burrow.

Original painting by Natalie Jane Parker