ARTIST IMPRESSION OF THE BIG BIRD ©JOHN MURRAY

A whimsical notion.......

The original idea to build a large sculpture was formulated whilst driving on the Birdsville track. For a few years now I have been exploring the various areas around Birdsville and the Birdsville Track for inspiration to paint. The name "Birdsville" has always struck me as funny and as a painter of birds, it presents a host of ideas. I was taken with the idea of the "Birds of Birdsville", which then became a kind of mantra for a series of quirky images of birds, and how they connect to Birdsville.

I did the painting "The Birdsville Races", wanting to humorously connect this iconic event with the "Birds of Birdsville" At the races they are jockeys and horses, which then led to birds wandering the Birdsville Track as tourists in a painting of the same title.

The more I expanded on the idea of Birds from Birdsville, my thoughts turned to the early pioneers of this remote, iconic outback destination. From these thoughts I arrived at the image of a massive bird sculpture, standing tall in the middle of nowhere on the Birdsville track. My dream and vision was to create a sculpture reflecting good old aussie humour and larrikinism on one of Australia's most famous and well trodden tracks.

So began the creation of "The Early Pie N' Ear", a 16 metre high statue of an Emu constructed of steel and VW's, a humorous tribute to the pioneering spirit.

Currently I have the steel which was donated, the car bodies and I am in the process of developing structural plans. It has been sanctioned by the Diamantina Shire and we have a team of willing volunteers on hand ready for the construction, transport and eventual erection of the sculpture. This is a work in progress, stay tuned.