© Emma Hack / Barcroft Media
Disappearing into the background these stunning images are a trick of the eye.
F0r full story and pictures:
Entitled ‘The Native Mandalas’ these body art backgrounds show painted models with a native Australian bird resting on their hands.
Including a baby Owl, Black Cockatoo, Baby Electus Parrot, Sulphur Crested Cockatoo and a Kookaburra these camouflaged images have been brought together by Australian Diverse Multi-Media Artist Emma Hack.
© Emma Hack / Barcroft Media
“I feel this is a celebration of our unique Australian fauna,” says 36-year-old Emma who has been painting bodies for 20 years.
“I have a deep love of animals and birds and I use these to interact with my models.
“I love working and meeting them, they can add emotion to the image whether it be a strength or fragility that is complimentary to the model, her pose and the backgrounds created for them.
“As you would document native flora and fauna in a museum, I see these images as a document of amazing Australian wildlife within decorative mandala surroundings.”
© Emma Hack / Barcroft Media
Consisting of five selections, The Native Mandalas take approximately eight hours to paint prior to each shoot.
Using a different model in each scene, Emma takes around six hours to paint the model into the design, before bringing the bird into moments before the final shot.
“The inspiration for I start with the bird I want to feature in the artworks,” explains Emma.
“Sometimes I can find it hard to find the right bird, in fact the Owl was meant to be a mature bird, but as they were in mating season, I couldn’t use them as it would disturb their breeding time so I was only able to get a baby owl.
“I love that it is a baby though and I feel it has worked to my advantage in this image, it was only seven weeks old, in the wild it still would have been in the nest so rarely seen at this age.”
Then designing the background the painting process takes up to six hours, with the model standing in front of the painting and the camera is set up in position about five meters back.
© Emma Hack / Barcroft Media
Working through the camera when painting the body, Emma walks between camera and model, painting the design to match.
At the last moment, the bird is bought into the studio to get used to its new environment before it is placed onto the models hands and photographed.
“The saying goes, ‘never to work with children or animals’,” says Emma.
“You never know what you are going to get with them to be honest, its a very spur of the moment feel when shooting as you don’t want to disturb them, I try to shoot very quickly and give them large breaks in between.”
Emma’s new collection will be showcased throughout a number of Australian galleries from September to November this year.
© Emma Hack / Barcroft Media
“I think art is in the eye of the beholder and what people may draw from it will be a range of emotions, but overall with my new collection I wish for the viewer to smile and enjoy the beauty of the birds featured within my designs, our wildlife is precious to us and should be respected,” says Emma.
“I hope that if someone buys my artwork, that it makes them happy when they look at it.”
Costing anywhere between£1,300-£2,300 overseas buyers can enquire directly from Emma’s website www.emmahackartist.com
Words by Jack Fletcher
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