A tough old stick

Charcoal and pastel on Arches 300gsm archival cotton, 82 x 52 cm, 2023
Finalist, Adelaide Perry Drawing Prize, 2023

This was Beryl, one of my stick insects who symbolises resilience to me. When I drew her portrait she was already an old lady missing a leg and half an antenna, but always carrying herself with dignity. Patient and benign, her only defence strategy is a slow dance mimicking leaves in the breeze.