'Transit' at the Hedland Art Awards 2013
Well, here she is, Transit at her place of rest in Port Hedland's Courthouse Gallery. I have to admit to being pleasantly surprised by how finished the painting looked, considering I spent another four hours painting on the day I had to drop her off at the gallery. For me what was both surprising and delightful was the luminescence of the work, an etherial quality I had not anticipated. I'm not sure whether it was the lighting, the two litres of white I mixed with my colours or the thousands of variations of colour. Maybe it was a combination, but it was the most proud I have felt about a painting and it is the first time I have seen my work in a group show where it seemed to belong.
The overall show is one of the best I have seen in the gallery. There is a clarity to it, a sense of place, a very distinct place. There is an intensity of colour and a sense of quiet energy within the works that I have found unique to the Pilbara, yet the gallery maintains a calm that allows the viewer to engage with each piece individually.
It is with great disappointment that I have to depart the Pilbara. It will be a place that I will continually return to. I will be interested to see how my experience translates in future works and how time and memory play out against each other in the following years.
Farewell dear Pilbara. It has been a pleasure to know you.
