Sketches, studio wall, January 2013
I have decided this year to take you through the processes I go through from planning to painting. This is a snap shot of some ideas for the 2013 Cossack Art Awards held annually in the historic town of Cossack. At 1600 km north of Perth, the information booklet that accompanies the entry form claims it is "the most isolated acquisitive art exhibition in the world."
Cossack was the first port in the North West and grew to a population of over 400 by 1894, helped primarily by the growth of the pearling industry and the Pilbara gold rush of the late 1880's. By the turn of the century the port proved too small to accommodate larger shipping vessels and the pearling fleet relocated to Broome. The gold rush had diminished and by 1910 the Municipality of Cossack was dissolved. By the early 1950's the town was virtually abandoned and now only accommodates back packers. The old Post and Telegraph Office and the Bond store were restored, and now house the hundreds of entries for the annual award.
The above are my initial sketches for a painting based on maps of Cossack. I am not happy with any of them. The land division in Cossack was grid-like, despite its hilly, rocky outcrops. This is quite obviously reflected in the sketches. I have since ordered two topographic maps of Roebourne in the hope of finding something more organic. I have tried to obtain some of the historical land maps of Cossack, however gaining copies of them proved difficult. Such is the planning process.
