This is Emmaline. She’s 1.5m tall and a little bit wired, so dont mess with her. Her pose is based on Degas’ Little Dancer bronze sculpture in the Louvre – that stance gave good balance whichever way she is knocked. She’s made of various woods, newspaper and chicken mesh as a base; a wallpaper, paper mache, fake fur and cardboard exterior, painted with acrylics; and pingpong ball eyes. In the very old cartooning tradition of anthropomorphism/personifying animals – dogs playing cards etc, Gary Larsen in our time. The cat contributed the clawed toes – no respect!
Emmaline caused me to have a minor epiphany – my family was out on the night when I realised that I was a grown man alone in a big house on a Friday night massaging scrunched up newspaper and glue into the right size of breasts for a hairy emu wearing a flapper’s bathing suit. This seemed odd. So I stopped for a beer and some brief introspection. Came right again after 10 minutes. Maybe.
Emmaline is named after the Hot Chocolate song, one of the first I learned on the guitar.
Alistair McDonald's Art 
Alistair, it’s a tough job but someone’s got to do it, and perhaps it was for the best that you were home alone and there was no photographic evidence.
Your secret is safe with us!
On the other hand, I do need to ask whether your emu is an illegal immigrant. Does she have a passport? As far as I’m aware, she’s an illegal alien and should she meet up with a suitable mate, baby emus could soon be over-running NZ like the possum. This is an environmental disaster in the making.
Best wishes,
Rowena