Rooted
Joel Vanderduys
- Sitter: Eric Vanderduys
- Medium: Acrylic
- Dimensions: 76 x 105 cm
- Representation: The artist represents themselves
About the artist
Joel Vanderduys, 19, is a self-taught artist from Papua New Guinea now living in Redcliffe, Australia. His art began at a young age, however he has only been a professional artist for a year and a half. He says of his work; “It is a gift from God that I believe can bring happiness and joy to the wider community and hopefully the world.”
About the sitter
Eric is a terrestrial field biologist studying the effects of differing land management activities (e.g. grazing, clearing, weeds, fire, feral species) on vertebrate fauna. He maintains the Black-throated Finch database on behalf of the Black-throated Finch Recovery Team. He is also the author of Field Guide to the Frogs of Queensland. Joel says of the portrait: “My painting is of my Uncle Eric who has been revegetating areas of his Brisbane neighbourhood since the age of 14. He is a well renown biologist who has individually discovered several new species and rediscovered animal species that were presumed to be extinct. I found it fitting to paint him because of his contributions to Brisbane and the rest of Australia.”
