Yesterday Darren and I set up what could be the last ever shroud set featuring a rat I found dead in our carport and Robyn’s Rosella. We also finally collected the Winter Lace Monitor well and truly mummified and no longer diabolically smelly. It had been decomposing on canvas for nearly 7 months (since August 25th 2024)! Our first attempt to collect this shroud occurred with Angela filming and featured the collection of the pigeon and ringtail shroud on the 26th October 2024. I was so upset due to accidently deleting all the excellent photos I took of the pigeon and ringtail so well dried out! All I have as reference for painting are the film stills from Angie’s film! Eight weeks later we collected the last shroud. The rat and rosella had melted, skulls revealed.

Today Darren and I headed out to Nerriga, it felt like spring even though it was overcast. I finally got to the bottom of my chest freezer finding the last three bodies. There was another huge lace monitor, a medium grey bird – not sure what type of bird – and a ringtail possum. We also collected the first winter shroud set featuring two baby flying foxes, two micro bats (only one was there!), a tawny frogmouth and a kingfisher. They were all beautifully preserved. I put the shrouds in vinegar baths and hung them out on the line at home.

Darren and I set up a third shroud set at David and Linda’s farm in Nerriga today. First we dealt with Autumn Shroud Set 2 by removing the decomposed lace monitor, leather jacket, pardalote, laughing dove and rainbow lorikeet from their canvases. The prints were amazing yet again, aside from the pardalote which hardly left a mark. The Winter Shroud Set consists of a tawny frogmouth, a kingfisher, two baby flying foxes and two micro bats.

Darren and I set up a second shroud set at David and Linda’s farm in Nerriga today. First we removed the decomposed juvenile sooty tern, magpie lark, spotted pardalote, powerful owl and two rats from their canvases. The prints were amazing! Autumn Shroud Set 2 consists of a lace monitor, leather jacket, pardalote, laughing dove and rainbow lorikeet.

Darren and I set up my first shroud set at David and Linda’s farm in Nerriga today. A juvenile sooty tern, a magpie lark, a spotted pardalote, a powerful owl and two rats. David said pigs had been digging in the area so hopefully the wire holds the precious bodies in place.

Darren and I were only able to collect Shroud set 2 on Sunday as I had made the mistake of moving the sets into a shady area of the property. Shroud set 2 was not dried out enough to successfully remove the bodies. I made another mistake attempting to remove the flying fox and ringtail while moist. The imprint was not sufficiently revealed as the body was melted onto the canvas. I decided to leave shroud 2 at Worrowing in the sun to dry out further. I collected it in a few days and it was nicely dried. Vinegar processing went well, the stains nice and strong.

 

The first Worrowing Autumn Shroud Set features two ringtail possums, what looks to be a Swift, a cane toad and two geckos from Danny’s collection and a flying fox (they are currently in Vincentia and both me and my mum have them feeding and roosting at our homes).

Today Darren and I packed the car with another set of frozen animal bodies and went to the Worrowing Shroud site to collect the Summer set and set up the first Autumn set. We remembered to protect ourselves from the mozzies this time.

When we got home I bathed the two stained canvases in vinegar and hung them out to dry

Darren and I set up an array of creatures this morning amidst the mozzies and heat, some of which were given to me by a friend Danny who was taught taxidermy by my father years ago. There were lots of surprises, a micro bat and what looks to be a Cuckoo amid my collection of ringtail, antechinus, leather jacket, starfish, wonga pigeon and the crowning glory, a Southern Boobook owl with wings outstretched.

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