Mangroves, arts practice and sense of self

My direction in art over the past 12 months has been shifting to a mode where I am getting to know my self better through connection with place.  For me, that place is mangrove creeks and tidal zones.  I have a strong history of family connections to coastal and tidal zones - my Dad was a keen fisherman and now that he has been gone for over 10 years, my memories of him are found amongst the mangroves.

I don't consider myself to be a writer, but I am using words to explore and discover more about the connection between myself and place.

My casuarina skeleton lies like a bridge

connecting creek water to eroded bank, 

my strength devoured by the hunger of a full moon surge,

my roots parched and shriveled, straining

against the ash of salt-laden air 

holding both my breath and reclamation.

-  I will return to the earth one day

 

This work is a study of mangrove leaves found washed up on the high tide mark.
I was amazed at the variety of colours, so I made a long
concertina of watercolour paper, with watercolour, pen and pencil
drawings.  I also added a few words of poetry that I had
written - the words flow between the leaves along the 
length of the book, a celebration of detritus and decay.

Mangroves, Mud and my obsession

I have come to the conclusion that I have a bit of an obsession about mangroves.  I'm drawn to tidal creeks, the sculptural form of prop roots, the tang of decaying leaves in the mud, the song of honeyeaters.  Over the past 12 months, I've been doing a lot of writing about my relationship to mangroves, trying to figure it out, and as a consequence my arts practice has become increasing tied to my sense of self and mangroves in tidal creeks.

My next few blog posts will focus on how I have used words and creative play to explore my experience of these magical but often unappreciated places.

A forest of putrid ugliness.
    
you think it
you say it

but I hear
whispered pulses of the rising tide,
soothing hands stroking the casuarina,
a heron’s beak striking the fingerling,
a lone mangrove seed falling,
                                        falling.

I do my best thinking on my
bike or in my kayak,
the notebook is always ready!

Cotton Tree leaves - my
other obsession!

Cotton Tree leaf drawing -
coloured pencil and white pen
on toned paper

Work in Progress - using watercolour
over the top of a rejected monoprint.
I used myself-made colour chart to
figure out what colour would
sit best against the busy background.

Completed artwork (detail photo)

Another one - using ochre colours

Distractions, Diversions and Divine Interventions

In my last post I referred to things not going to plan.  Well, its been nearly six weeks of Covid-19 lockdown and I've found myself in a totally unexpected place with respect to my art practice.

I have to admit I've lost my art 'mojo'.  I'm normally right into my printing, drawing, making - I'm quite prolific.  I've got folders and boxes full of prints, artist books, various work-in-progress, UFOs (unfinished objects), and art supplies.  Plenty of evidence of a healthy, productive and enjoyable art practice centred around making, creating and doing.

But for the past couple of weeks, I haven't felt the need to make anything.  My printing presses lay idle, I haven't touched my gelatine plate, no inks to clean up.

But I have been busy, and embracing the change in direction.  I've been busy looking after 'me', doing a 'spring cleaning' of my art practice.  More time thinking, reading and writing.

Lets wind back the clock to earlier this year before we had heard of Covid-19......  I signed up for a 12 month research program with art educator Ruth Hadlow, with five other artists.  The program has a focus on reading, writing and guided working on individual art/research projects.   My goal for this program was to challenge myself, work on some new ideas, and experiment with a new direction.

And having the lockdown has helped interrupt my 'routine' and enabled me to slow down and divert off onto a new road.

In the past few weeks, I've embraced a new way of working for a while - thinking and writing.
I'm studying the art of creative writing, specifically poetry, using audiobooks and ebooks.  I've enjoyed listening to Stephen Fry with his book 'An Ode less Travelled', learning about poem structure.  I'm also working my way through Diane Lockwards' books 'The Crafty Poet'.

And what I've learnt is that writing is helping me to focus my attention, much like drawing helps you to observe better.   Words are helping me to connect with the ideas floating around in my head, getting them down onto paper is giving me a new perspective on my passion for the natural world.  I can see how this mode of practice will give my making more meaning and satisfaction.

So you might see a few more creative words in my blog posts in the future, but don't worry it won't be all words, I can feel my urge to make something again getting stronger and more insistent ....or maybe that's because my world is slowing coming out of lockdown again, the spell is being broken!