I went all the way to the Australian outback looking for an emu and didn't see a single one.

Uluru, Alice Springs, all the way up to Darwin. I was so excited about seeing these incredible birds out in the wild, in their own country. Eddie, apparently, had other plans.

Maybe that's part of what I love about wildlife. You can go looking for it, but it doesn't owe you an appearance. There's something wonderful about knowing it's out there somewhere, getting on with its life whether you're there to witness it or not.

So I painted Eddie instead.

And it was that face I wanted to capture. The head tilted slightly to one side, the unruly feathers and those enormous orange eyes staring straight back at you. There's something inquisitive about him, as though he's trying to work you out rather than the other way around.

He's quirky, curious and just a little bit pleased with himself.

I crossed the country hoping to find him. In the end, he found his way onto my canvas instead.

Acrylic and oil on canvas · 20 × 20cm (8 × 8") · Original

Painted from a reference photograph by Shutterstock.