It started with the realisation that Barmah forest had just been flooded with a life saving release of environmental water. I packed my gumboots and camera and went to document this event. I was captivated by the intricate layers and reflections of ground, leaves, trees, water and sky. I waded into the forest and stood there absorbing frog songs, bird song, and leaves rustling in the slight breeze that caused rippling reflections. The sigh of relief from the land was almost audible. Back in the studio I pondered on the complexity of layers and challenged myself to capture something of the spirit of this place in a series of paintings.
I experimented with layering thin washes of paint and pattern-making, to create a series of paintings that were quite individual and yet related. From a whimsical realism to abstracted realism. Environmental Flow is the largest piece and it will be exhibited at Sherbrooke Gallery in the Streeton Roberts McCubbin Awards exhibition.
