The X and Ray series features an unlikely pair of travel companions - X the stingray and Ray the Dingo. The late Lin Onus first portrayed these characters, X and Ray, in a 1992 work titled, 'Michael and I are just slipping down the pub for a minute'. This work features an ochre-striped dingo surfing a rarrked stingray atop a Japanese Hokusai-style wave. These characters were charged with supernatural qualities based on indigenous thinking and shared stories.
Following these painted works was the creation of a series conceived and made in collaborative spirit with fellow artist Michael Eather as three-dimensional forms in fibreglass. Lin's son Tiriki Onus, who had always been included in the projects, worked with his father and Michael in their respective studios. The stingray holds special significance for Michael just as the dingo is integral to the work of Tiriki and Lin, up until Lin's untimely death in 1996.
Lin Onus paintings, sculptures, prints and installation works are represented in every State gallery and most major collections in Australia and many overseas as well. Lin had 18 solo exhibitions in Australia and over 40 group exhibitions in Australia, Asia, Europe and America.