COASTLINE PERCEPTIONS
$3,400
Thursday Art Group (TAG)
Judy Egan; Robyn Egan; Chris Flavell; Jenny Horn; Marian Isles; Jenny Nixon; Lesley Piper; Jenni Rigby; Jinx Smith; Alison Worsnop
The outline of our Territory is familiar, almost part of our identity. But it is not immortal. It changes, not just in geological time, but even in human time. Saltwater intrudes into rivers and wetlands; cliffs collapse; the sea eats away at the land. Islands are cut off, engulfed and become Sea Country. A few thousand years ago our continental shelf was dry land where people lived. Australia and Papua New Guinea were once the continent of Sahul.
Looking at the spectacular and unspoiled Cobourg Peninsula and its Sea Country, which together form the Garig Gunak Barlu National Maritime Park, we can visualise this process. How long will it be before the saltwater cuts through the narrow isthmus and forms another archipelago? as must have happened to create Croker Island. With current projections for climate change and rising sea levels, this likely to be sooner than we might like.
Intrigued by this idea, we, The Thursday Art Group, held a workshop and decided to collaborate in each portraying a section of the coastline and its hinterland, joining them together as a single work. It grew organically as we extended our vision along the Northern coastline of the Territory. We used the new range of Schmincke Horadam super-granulating watercolours, combining them with wax resists, masking, sand and pebbles to capture the textures, colours and moods of our tropical woodlands and wetlands.
Despite having the same brief and art materials, our perceptions and contributions to this single, composite artwork were remarkably different, a celebration of human diversity, perhaps?
17 watercolours on 300gsm paper mounted on foam board, then mounted on canvas
210 x 180cm
Artist Statement: The Thursday Art Group is an informal collective of long term NT residents who have, for many years, met on Thursday mornings in the Rural Area to create art, network and enjoy each others’ company.
Contact Tactile Arts on 08 8981 6616 or admin@tactilearts.org.au to purchase.
