All The Observations is a connection to landscape and place. The paintings are intimate recordings, symbols that become wedged in her mind, charred bushland, wild flowers, flowing rivers and what I think are special places for the artist. Safe spots to feel, observe and paint in order to understand her connection to them. These paintings are vibrant and richly marked and are as much about the juicy blobs of paint as they are the places they depict. I think this show tells the story of change and progress, of how the artist has observed her home shift over her lifetime. These changes are seen seasonally in the landscape, as well as in larger changes to the built environment.
“I wander out into the bush in Budgong, hoping to find a billabong mum has told me about. I don’t, but instead a sandy trail exploding in purple and green, the Hardenbergia is in full bloom, something I’ve never seen before en masse. The 2019/20 bushfires have stripped all the trees, so the light pours in, allowing the Hardenbergia to swamp the destroyed landscape. I focus on this. It gives me hope. I make pattern on the board to try and convey the feeling of the plant taking over.”
James Kerr
Jennings Kerr, NSW
