I always feel very connected to the land around me, comfortable and at home. It constantly provides a visual feast of line, colour, texture, surfaces, contrasts and I will often see a kind of dark and bleak beauty in the aftermath of extreme weather events on the landscape. It’s a kind of conundrum for me as an artist because I’m also equally shocked, horrified and deeply saddened at the destruction and devastation wreaked upon the land, my fellow Aussies and our ever suffering and dwindling wildlife. This season I constantly hear words and phrases that are now almost synonymous with the Australian summer and its expanding fire season. I feel glum about it.

WORDS OF AN AUSTRALIAN SUMMER

Dry conditions, green drought, drought, hot day, strong dry winds, fire, blaze, spot fires, erratic fire conditions, emergency warning fires, fire at emergency level, flare up, out of control, raging, emergency blaze, bushfire emergency, fire front, jumping containment lines, mega-fire, watch and act, emergency warning, warning issued, enact bushfire plan, seek shelter, leave now, too late to leave, shelter in place, direct threat, Evacuate, closed to all traffic, stranded, cut off, impacted, volatile, unpredictable, chaotic conditions, ferocious, unprecedented, catastrophic.

My hope is that this exhibition will contribute funds to those who have suffered and lost the most during this event, to help provide ongoing care to our wildlife and rebuild the devastated environments that they all call home.

Reserve Price: $350

Final bid: $350