Thanks to Rachael for her marvellous workshop - 'Paint it like Stubbs' where children dressed as mini Stubbs and painted exotic animals from descriptions read by 'Captain Cook'. Some fantastic results!
The Captain Cook Memorial Museum
Imagine having to paint a portrait of a creature you’d never seen before, based largely on description. Captain Cook’s Endeavour voyage returned stories of sightings of ‘Kongouro from New Holland’ (now called Australia) and the pressure was on for George Stubbs, top animal portrait painter of the day, back in 1772, renowned for his popular portrayal of glossy prize horses, to show western society an accurate, lasting image of something fantastical, living a lot further away from home. What a challenge the lack of cameras posed then; the Kangaroo was something only a handful of westerners had ever glimpsed and what next to none had ever imagined. Using his own experimental process of wax and pigment, Stubbs turned words into marks and brush strokes, until the Kangaroo appeared in the flesh for all to see and wonder at.
 |  | The Captain Cook Memorial Museum have been honoured with a visit from this very painting of Stubbs’ ‘Kongouro’, on display until 29th September |
Put yourself in Stubbs’ shoes (by dressing up in his wig, overalls and sitting at his easel), pretending that you are being commissioned by Captain Cook to paint a different creature indigenous to Australia. Listen carefully to what he and his men saw and sketch with watercolour pencils what you imagine this creature to look like. Brush water over the top of your work of art and watch your portrait come to life.
To mark the importance of each child’s creature portrait, their finished work of art was mounted in a gold frame with nameplate, at Captain Cook’s declaration of approval. A photograph of The Cassowary Bird / Duck-Billed Platypus was then revealed to accompany the description. The little Stubbs could then take their masterpieces home!
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