http://www.painters-online.co.uk February 2021 9THE ART WORLD
NEWS, INFORMATION AND ONLINE EVENTS IN THE ART WORLD
compiled by Jane Stroud
p Alix O’Neil Whilst We Are Sleeping, watercolour, 8¼ 3 11¾in (21 3 29.5cm)Sketch for Survival
In December we reported on The Sketch for Survival exhibition that was to have taken
place at the Oxo Gallery in London. At the very last minute the exhibition was forced to
move online, but over 200 of the best works are still available to view at
https://explorersagainstextinction.co.uk/initiatives/sketch-for-survival/
We are delighted to announce that Alix O’Neil has won The Artist Award for her
watercolour Whilst We Are Sleeping – and wins a year’s free online subscription to The
Artist. Alix’s work was chosen by Sally Bulgin, editor of The Artist, as the two-dimensional
work that best captures the spirit of Sketch for Survival. She writes: ‘Who couldn’t have
been shocked and moved by the images of desperate wildlife – including koalas – trying
to escape the ravages of the recent Australian wildfires? TV images of helpless koalas
with life-threatening burns being rescued by people putting their lives at risk to help are
etched on my memory. So, this watercolour painting by Alix O’Neil of a koala sleeping
while surrounded by the glow of the fires, which symbolise our lack of urgency in
addressing global warming and our impact on the planet, really stood out for me.’
Alix was born in Malaysia to Scottish parents who managed a rubber plantation. ‘As a
child,’ she says, ‘I constantly drew and painted. When I was not doing that, I would sneak
home stray and injured animals to add to my menagerie. Art, animals and conservation
have always played an important part in my life. I studied Chinese brush painting in
Malaysia entrenching my passion for watercolour. After completing my education in
Scotland, I travelled and worked in Europe before moving to Sydney in 1990. It has
only been in the last couple of years that I have been able to devote myself to my art
professionally.
‘Today I feel like the threat and rate of extinction to our planet’s flora and fauna is
accelerating. At the beginning of the year, we experienced one of the worse bush fireseasons Australia has ever seen. For weeks
the sky glowed red from the fires. We
were driving south from Sydney when
a fire closed the road behind us. Driving
home through the charred and blackened
bushland with the danger of smouldering
trees falling on our vehicle or blocking
the road, I couldn’t help but reflect on
the poor animals who would not be swift
enough to outrun these ferocious fires.
It created an eerie atmosphere when the
sky, blanketed in the smoke from the fires,
dulled all colour.
‘I chose to portray this by using a limited
palette. To create more impact, I painted
my koala in monotone surrounded by
the glow of an approaching bushfire.
If you look closely you can see that his
extremities are being licked by flames
highlighted by the pyrrole orange I used
to indicate the fire. The sleeping koala is
symbolic of our appalling lack of urgency
in Australia of addressing our impact on
the planet.’