PARK WATCH Article June 2026 |
Josh Dykgraaf explores the relationship between animals and their habitats, and the impact of humanity
I’m a photographic artist: that is, I photograph all kinds of material, cut it out and digitally recompose it into a new form. Each image is kind of a hyper-collage, requiring 40–100 hours to make, with thousands of layers in Photoshop.
My creative process is a lot like cloud watching. Like noticing that leaves often have a similar shape and form to feathers, or that at scale bushland on a hillside can look like fur. Most of my source material is found or photographed while I’m out bushwalking.
Nature is the central focus and inspiration in my work, both in appreciating and imbuing a love for the beauty of nature, and also bringing awareness to issues and threatened wildlife I care about.
We’re in the middle of a rolling extinction event for the world’s wildlife. In Australia that’s primarily due to habitat destruction, but also climate change and our waste practices.
I moved to the Dandenongs last year, so my focus and inspiration has been the plants and animals found nearby in Dandenong Ranges and Yarra Ranges national parks.
I hope to pass on that love of nature. If I’m able to influence my audience in how we think about the way we interact with our environment in some small way, that’s a huge win.
For more info, including timelapse videos of how each piece comes together, visit joshdykgraaf.com and @joshdykgraaf
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