Carmel Nott
For me, art is usually the opportunity to celebrate the beauty and some of the stories of our local flora and fauna.
I like us to see the beauty and grace of the flower or tree or plant but also its story, for our flora – and fauna - tell stories of struggle and promise, of strength, resilience and interdependence.
Experiencing the Bunya Mountain forest , for example, enables us not only to wonder at its world of great richness, complexity and beauty. but also to go back in time and see something of Australia's evolutionary past.
Bunya Mountain icons like Bunya Pines, Fern Trees, Grass Trees and Orchids have histories that span many millions of years - and include encounters with dinosaurs as well as with man, ice ages and times of great volcanic activity. We are told that the butterflies and dragonflies that we see here and that seem so vulnerable, most likely had their origins in southern Gondwanaland many millions of years ago.
Recently, inspired by the work of the great Japanese woodcut artist, Kanzaka Sekko, I have tried to capture something of the great beauty of some of our local butterflies in flight, their apparently carefree pathways, their grace, agility, movement and colour.
For a number of years, I have found Woodcut Prints, with their reliance on a special kind of starkness and contrast and balance of tones, to be an effective medium for exploring this beauty and telling these stories.
More recently, I have been excited and challenged by what the mediums of Drypoint and Etching on aluminium plate can offer and I am enjoying exploring how the different mediums can contribute to the meaning and drama and message of a work.
