Life After the Wildfires, 2020

This series has evolved over the course of 2020. In first semester I responded to the out of control bushfires that burnt just metres from my home. This project was not only an investigation into the Australian bush and how the plants and animals have adapted to survive but also an expression of my feelings of fear, grief, loss and devastation I experienced during that time. This project has helped me understand these feelings which I had initially struggled to express.

In semester two the colours of the new growth against the burnt black trees initially took my interest. The vibrant colours of the fresh green shoots of the epicormic growth filled me with happiness and hope. As well as observing life as the plants and animals returned back to the bush. Walking around the old overgrown Moruya rubbish tip everyday deepened my understanding as I watched the bush regenerate in front of my eyes, as if growing from nothing. I walked every day and collected discarded objects that caught my eye. These included natural and human made objects. I used the found objects to make brushes. Each brush was used to create a single drawing. I decided to show the brushes alongside the paintings to allow the viewer to see the connection between the brush and the unique raw marks it created. I photographed the brushes as artifacts of the site, they are shown before and after the ink has come into contact with them.