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Abstract
When considering the notion of the Australian landscape, the images that come immediately to mind are the clichés of a sunburnt country, gum trees, vast space and an unending horizon. These images of remote territories are not part of my everyday experience and are a representation of an Australia seen in postcards, tourist documentaries and the works of artists enmeshed in that tradition.
The Australian landscape that I present in the etchings produced for this Master of Fine Arts research project is one of a high-density metropolis that I observe daily. In a landscape where manmade structures overpower nature, architecture is the main influence, and in this confined space can be found images that are equally bleak and beautiful. The issues expressed in the work focus on the paradox between the beauty I observe in the patterns and shapes and the loneliness that I feel within this environment.
An analysis of artists that offer a context to my work include Callum Morton (b. 1965) and Jeffrey Smart (b.1921). Morton makes cynical commentary on the city environment, and Smart captures images where beauty and a sense of isolation co-exist happily.
The first studio project, The Lost Horizon deals with city architecture. The buildings in my work do not represent iconic structures, for they are often taken for granted by passers by. The geometric patterns and surfaces of recurring rectangular shapes, from these vast glass walled facades, create frames where the reflection of light is at play, capturing a picture that is transformed with changes in the weather and the passage of the day.
The second body of work, Figure in the Urban Landscape, focuses upon observations of ordinary people travelling through the city. The two main areas explored are of the figure as traveller, and the figure in leisure performing mundane rituals that I depict from a comfortably detached distance. I am interested in how the inclusion of the figure changes the context of these spaces.
The outcomes produced for this research project trace my engagement with a view of Australia that is not the ideal. Through technical experimentation using multiple plate colour etching, a new body of work exists that adds to the understanding of a broader interpretation of Australian landscape and the way we see our urban environment.