An Idyll Survey

An Idyll Survey

You cannot easily walk all the way along the river from the headwaters of Salt Pan Creek and over to Kamay’s Towra Beach. Its origins have been shaped into stormwater drains and further downstream, the shoreline is frequently inaccessible for one reason or another. So, I choose an idyllic spot, and leaving the car behind, I walk. As I walk, I breathe, relax and observe.

I love being out, surrounded by nature and this is how I experience this part of the world – walking and, oh so often stooping to examine some little treasure while enjoying the beautiful open spaces and fresh air.

This is a personal map drawn from some of those walks. It is my idle survey (of an idyll).

 

The above image is a half length detail of the 2024 image "An Idyll Survey" the total being quite long at 1.74 meters. I embraced a long, narrow format to invoke a snakelike linear continuity of the connected waterways from Salt Pan Creek to Towra Beach. The waterways are connected and continuous but it is a journey you cannot see from one end to the other.

While there is so much to see, one of the most impactful elements is that of space.

Details and delightful surprises are abundant but I chose to be selective excluding any images of land plants and focusing almost exclusively on smaller riverine creatures and their tracks.

The waterway is the basis for life along it and collaged images are roughly where they were found. To this end, I checked my phone photo library for locations.

The materials include printed transparencies (over the blue water), and printed opaque paper and graphite pencil writing and drawing (on the land). For me the smooth, reflective nature of transparencies invoke glints of light reflecting off water. I hope you enjoy this survey and look with fresh eyes at your own local area.

​

Group Show: Visions Unveiled, MerakiArtists, The Balmain Watch House, September 28 - 29 2024