Edan Azzopardi spent his early childhood between his family home in Melbourne and the family’s Emu farm in Central Victoria. It may have been the time spent on this farm during his formative years that led to his intense love of nature. As long as he can remember the Australian bush, as well as its flora and fauna, have been where he feels most grounded. Birds especially have always been a significant love, with a childhood filled with pet birds including Zebra finches, Bourke parakeets, and Diamond doves to name a few.
Now he has managed to combine his love of animals with his work as an animal technician as well as spending time at his farm in the Macedon Ranges. His current series of paintings showcase Australian birds in all their colourful and shapely glory from the monochromatic Australian White Ibis (bin chook) to the colourful Eastern Rosella. Putting his money where his mouth is, 10% of every artwork Edan sells is donated to Bush Heritage Australia and Bird Life Victoria. These two fantastic organisations help build awareness of, and create safe habitats for, some of Australia’s more vulnerable species.
Tell us a bit about what a day may look like for you as an artist. Where are you based and what are some of the things that you do in your daily routine? Tell us about your morning rituals, your cup of tea/coffee, plants, etc!
I’m very fortunate to live opposite park and bushland along the Merri creek. For inspiration I can simply open my window or go down to the creek to hear and see birds, frogs and even turtles. It’s quite amazing actually. Not a lot of people living in Melbourne can say that they are regularly woken up by the Kookaburras in the morning, it’s a beautiful little spot.
How did you start your creative practice and why? Are you self-taught, an art student, a full-time artist, etc?
Growing up in a big art collecting family I was always encouraged to explore my creative side. As a teenager, having my work on display at the National Gallery of Victoria as part of Top Arts was an incredible experience. From here I never stopped making, even when I was working full-time. Art has always been a way of grounding myself as well as spending time outdoors. Now feels like the right time to share my love of nature and art. The aim of my current collection of bird paintings is to build awareness and put the spotlight on some of the more vulnerable Australian bird species.
Have you got a studio/creative workplace? Tell us a bit about where you create and some of the significant things that support and inspire your practice.
My creative workspace is a desk in the corner of the room. It’s far from perfect, but its window overlooks the park and floods the room with natural light. I’m constantly changing the plants and objects around in the space. This keeps it fresh and brings me new inspiration.
What are some of the ideas that you explore in your work and the mediums that you have chosen to work with?
Each individual painting focuses on a single Australian native bird. Before painting I’ll sit and research about the bird’s behaviour and the environment it lives in. I use blocks of solid colour to form the bird, being careful to use the correct colours of the bird as they appear in nature. The background is always empty as I want the bird to be the main focus. I find through playful placement and artistic exaggeration I can get the birds to fill the entire page comfortably. It’s not until the bird paintings are grouped together that the array of colours really start to be the main focus. I love the way that colours that should not work together in a single artwork look amazing when you put all the bird paintings together. I guess this is what happens in nature.
In an increasingly digitized world, how important is your online presence? And what are some of the things that you consider when marketing your work?
I’m not very good at selling myself or using technology. I focus more on sharing a few facts about the birds and the environment. Education and awareness are what I’d rather sell, and let the art work speak for itself.
Let us know about any current/future projects – Have you got anything planned in the near future?
I’m currently working on a new collection of bird paintings for a solo exhibition planned for later this year. I’m also in conversation with a printmaker about creating some large hand printed screen-prints. Watch this space.
Visit our Stockroom to view works by Edan Azzopardi.