Bronwyn Rodden #2 Journey to Ink

Fire and River 60cm x 50cm Mixed Media on Canvas 2009

When I was young we lived close to the bush and my siblings and I spent a lot of time there, including walks with our father on Sundays – probably to give mum a rest. We often stopped at an informal lookout over the Hacking River which appeared at the end of the track like magic. At times we witnessed the results of bushfires and it struck me how quickly the complete blackness of the bush could be infiltrated by new life. Early in my work I decided I wanted my paintings to be infused with something real, to embed them in the landscape. I’ve used sand here, recalling the sandy banks of the river I remembered squelching between my toes.