Gilgai
July 17 to August 7, 2021
Linton and Kay Galleries, Subiaco WA
Opening July 22, 6pm - 8pm
During Covid I worked in isolation and reflected on my romance with the Western Australian landscape, the poignancy of the textures and patterns of the desert seen from the air. Salt lakes and gilgais (ephemeral lakes occurring in clay soils) form a beautiful lacework across the surface of the land. These features inspired the visual narrative for this exhibition.
‘Ravine’ Watercolour, pencil, thread applique on Washi paper 76cm x140cm
I found that working on these art pieces triggered memories and emotions that were invaluable in informing my practice. I started making hand formed paper that led to this body of work, which is specific to the Western Australian, desert regions.
“There are a plethora of delicate patterns that thread the Western Australian desert landscape. These are discovered in the miniature on the ground and replicated on a vast scale, seen when flying over these regions. This reveals to me a sacred geometry at play in nature. ”
‘Quartzite’ Watercolour, pencil, thread applique on Washi paper 65cm x 65cm
I longed to see all of this again. Instead I had to see with my mind’s eye and I created this body of work to feed my soul. I relied on my memory and reference photographs, luckily my passion for these views meant that I had an archive of shots taken before Covid. I observed salt lakes and Gilgais among many other features of the desert on my flights over the Kimberley and Pilbara, from Broome to Perth and the Esperence region south-east of Perth.
Using watercolour and washi paper that is stitched, layered and torn, the paper’s delicacy speaks of a fragile landscape. A constant moving and shifting created by wind and rain, fire, human endeavor and the rhythm of the seasons create repeating marks that lace the surface of the land and inspire my work.