Clayton Tremlett is a contemporary Australian printmaker who excavates the nation's forgotten stories through one of its smallest but most potent cultural objects: the postage stamp.

Rather than commemorating moments of triumph, Tremlett imagines the stamps Australia never issued; celebrating overlooked episodes, unlikely heroes and curious failures that collectively reveal a richer, more nuanced national identity. Drawing upon meticulous historical research, his works blur the boundary between documented history and collective mythology.

This work references the infamous Emu Wars of 1932, when Australian soldiers armed with machine guns attempted - and spectacularly failed -to curb Western Australia's booming emu population. The campaign has since become one of Australia's most improbable historical anecdotes, embodying the country's characteristic blend of resilience, absurdity and self-deprecating humour. By elevating this episode to the status of a commemorative stamp, Tremlett playfully questions what deserves to be remembered as part of the national story.

The work is layered with further historical references. The perforated border recalls traditional postage stamps, while the punctured holes across the image suggest both the "OS" perforations once applied to Australian government stamps to prevent theft by public servants and the bullet-riddled road signs that remain an iconic sight across rural Australia, where signs frequently become makeshift target practice. These interventions transform the print from a simple image into an object that appears to have lived its own history.

An innovator in contemporary printmaking, Tremlett combines painstaking craftsmanship with conceptual wit, reviving the visual language of engraved postage stamps to create works that feel both archival and surprisingly current. His prints invite viewers to reconsider the stories that shape Australia's identity; not through grand historical narratives, but through the eccentric, the overlooked and the unexpectedly revealing.

Represented in the National Gallery of Australia, Geelong Gallery, Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery, Bendigo Art Gallery and numerous public and private collections, Tremlett has established himself as one of Australia's most distinctive contemporary printmakers. For collectors of Australian history, printmaking or visual storytelling, his work offers a rewarding intersection of scholarship, humour and exceptional technical skill.

Clayton TREMLETT (1964 - )
'Stamp acknowledging the failed Emu Wars of 1932' 2025
linocut and letterpress on paper
Image Size: 24 x 24 cm
Dimensions: 28 x 28 cm
Framed Dimensions: 47 x 47 x 4 cm 
Signed: Editioned, signed 'C Tremlett' and dated below image.
Comes with Letter of Provenance

Condition: Excellent

(c) The Artist or Assignee

This print was included in 'Irrepressible: Exchanging ideas through printmaking', a print exchange of 53 Victorian artists organised and curated by Rona Green. These works were exhibited at Artspace from March through May 2026.

Another impression of this print in The Whitehorse Art Collection

Another impression of this print is in the collection of the Central Goldfields Art Gallery