Kakapo Dreaming II | Original Abstract Landscape Painting | Lara Scolari

Kakapo Dreaming II

Kakapo Dreaming is inspired by the extraordinary kākāpō of Aotearoa New Zealand and the lush, almost fairytale landscape in which this remarkable bird disappears.

A rare, nocturnal and flightless parrot, the kākāpō is covered in mottled moss-green, yellow-green, black and earthy feathers that allow it to camouflage itself within the forest. Rather than standing apart from its environment, it seems to become part of it - merging with moss, foliage, forest floor and shadow.

It was this beautiful relationship between creature and landscape that inspired Kakapo Dreaming.

Through layers of translucent greens, moss, olive, ochre and deep organic tones, I wanted to evoke a landscape that feels saturated with life - lush, wet, fertile and almost otherworldly. Forms swell and overlap like leaves, mosses, stones and water-engorged plant growth, while glimpses of colour emerge and disappear beneath the surface.

There is no literal kākāpō painted within the work. Instead, I imagine the bird hidden somewhere within it - perfectly camouflaged amongst the abundance of flora, texture and movement.

The painting becomes its own secret world: somewhere between reality, memory and dream.

For me, Kakapo Dreaming is about the magic of a landscape so alive that its inhabitants become inseparable from it - a celebration of camouflage, survival, regeneration and the extraordinary beauty of the natural world.

Lara Scolari