(The Art Vault, Mildura, 2016)
Newspaper Report:
Installation:
Thumbnails:
Mist and Rain:
Frost, Ice and Snow:
Dynamism of Water:
Breeze and Light Play:
Water Ways:
Artist’s Statement:
Water and its Guises
Water is a symbol of life. It created and it destroys. it brings oblivion as well as wisdom, it brings purification and forgiveness.
This is a third exhibition from the series The magic world of Nature (Sun, Trees, Water).
When I was a child, I loved climbing Trees. The higher the tree was, more stimulating it was, the more thrilling. I felt near heaven, high in the sky like a bird, away with my emotions, just me. My parents’ little orchard garden and the forest nearby became my Eden. Perched on the branch and elevated I became transferred from the world below me, and at least for a short time the world below me was not a part of me. My surroundings removed me from ordinary that I even ignored my mother’s calling. There I was with my thoughts not disturbed, marvelling at at the light shimmering through the density of leaves, creating sparkles on them as the gentle wind cradled the leaves. My eyes followed the busy insect on the bark, and the silence with the occasional call of a bird lifted me to my own world of imagination.
Similarly a fascination for me was Water. The seasons gave water different appearances. The different modes brought different moods to my dreams. The gentle hammering created by rain drops on the window alerted me to a magic stage behind. The drops running down were sometimes stopped by grease on the glass then changed direction or speeded up as they joined together. The steam rising up from the warmer earth and the strange shapes seen through the mist magnetise me to an imaginary outside world. The summer brought the opportunity to swim in the moonlight over the river. The river dressed itself with sparkles from the reflections of the stars and moon. The gentle murmur of the current with the occasional flap of gentle waves brought a feeling of anticipation. It was a joy to watch the play of the little waves together, their constant change of pattern. The warmer rain of summer brought time to play in the rain, time to walk in puddles and to build dams by blocking the running water with rocks and then looking at the overflow creating little waterfalls for a short time. And not to forget the winter with the snow falling like the feather from the sky and the whiteness with its silence. When the Artist Frost drew amazing patterns on the window and the fading sun or street lights painted them with tones of orange and blue greys. The frozen drops on the firs and leaves, the pattern on the ice that all provided yet more magic for the child.
The wonderful world around me full of little sensations removed me from ordinary. From my childhood, nature became my best friend. It offered me not only desired freedom, but also everlasting inspiration and retreat.