
The conceptual basis behind the show ‘Connecting with Earth’ is going to be about how we relate to our surrounding environment. I want to explore a sense of belonging and inspire people to nurture nature, wherever they live. For example, urban gardening and having your own vegie patch in the ‘burbs’ or even growing plants in pots on balconies if you live in a unit. There are many ways we can foster a relationship with the earth and become in awe of our natural world. I want people to develop a sense of protection for our environment. Hope for the future is so important, I believe it was Audrey Hepburn who said 'To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow’.
My paintings will draw on imagery taken from google maps and ariel views which show our local area and where we are located and actually connected to here on earth… The old local maps on the walls of the gallery are so inspiring. I really enjoy playing with the geometric shapes and patterns found in topographical maps.
The decorative artwork and glazes on my ceramic pieces will over lap with the concepts from my paintings in principal studio this semester. I hope to create some functional pieces while really pushing the idea of growing things and being able to cook them up and eat them. So as well as the paintings I hope to produce a set of plates and/or bowls and some pots for the plants/herbs.
I will call the ceramic series of works either ‘From Pot to plate’ (like paddock to plate) and ‘balcony to bowl’.
I think if more people fell in love with gardening and how amazing plants are then there would be more interest in helping conserve our environment rather than dig it up and mine it, activist art has its place to shock but to be honest it can be confronting and depressing. The state of the world is quite scary at times but instead of doom and gloom I want people feel uplifted and inspired when looking at the works so they too may go home and get their hands dirty in their own plot – no matter how large or small. So my theme ‘connecting with earth’ is about bonding with our planet Earth as well as with soil/earth.
The map imagery reflecting our own back yard and community (acting locally) and then zooming out to the show the planet earth (and thinking globally).
I want to capture a sense of us being able to do something positive surrounding our impact on the earth with works that give a sense of belonging to our local environment.