Jude Rae On the beach (Malua Bay, NYE 2019)

Early in 2020, photographer Alex Coppel posted an extraordinary image on Instagram of New Year’s Eve fires at Malua Bay, on the south coast of NSW. When I contacted him to ask if I might attempt a painting based on it, he very generously agreed. The title of the painting refers to the 1957 novel by Nevil Shute, which is set in Melbourne following a nuclear war. While nuclear conflict is still a threat, the world now faces the reality of global warming. COVID-19 bears down on us, but we must not forget the fires and other ecological crises that threaten Australia with the onset of climate change.

Jude Rae, 2021

This work is now in the collection of the Art Gallery of New South Wales.