His latest effort, a deck of playing cards with the front-line and essential workers of the pandemic displayed on them - from supermarket shelf-stackers to Auslan interpreters to Foodbank delivery people - again shows how well he can capture the zeitgeist.

Ashley already proved his ability to show the soul of the situation in his artwork that honoured the heroes of last summer's South Coast bushfires. Then he recognised the passing of the baton, from the firefighter to the health worker, in his poignant work, The Road Ahead, as Australia faced a new crisis in the pandemic.

Now, he has followed that up with a tribute to the front-line workers, essential workers and unsung heroes of the pandemic with a special set of playing cards.

There are more than 75 designs to represent the standard poker deck of 52. The two jokers "are to be announced later". Mmm, any suggestions? On the back of each card will be the Road Ahead image. Each suit covers a specific theme:

Hearts: Medical workers, charity workers, carers, etc.

Clubs: Volunteers, clubs, the Men's Shed, school canteen, etc.

Diamonds: Knowledge, teachers, mentors, elders, etc.

Spades: Traditional front-line workers, for example soldiers, police, firefighters plus essential workers like shelf-stackers, fruit-pickers, tradies and cleaners.

The cards allow people to literally hold the heroes of the pandemic in their hands - and close to their chest.

"I had to be considerate of how people view front-line workers just as much as we view and value our traditional ones. Some organisations get a little more cred, simply because they are iconic in the Australian consciousness, but they represent a much larger group," Ashley said.

"Stackers and cashiers get the nod, as do cleaners. There are also those who donate their time, either for their kids, their friends or their community.

"Medical professions are definitely recognised, as they should be, but there are quite a few carers, mentors, elders, counsellors and so on which do thankless work. Then there are the entertainers, artists, musicians who keep us all going."

Keep an eye out for the deck of cards at mickashley.com.au.