Evening Ascent
Melinda Giblett
Dimensions: 94.5x63cm
Year: 2023
Medium: oil on linen
Description:
In partnership with ‘mother trees’, smaller but strongly rooted eucalypts line the narrow, unsealed road to Riversdale. They stand as silent witnesses to flood and fire, drought and abundance-their sheer size deeply anchored inside the land supporting steep riverbanks. They silently play their part in supporting this delicate landscape. My response to the structural qualities of the land, its natural forms, light and mood of place in this painting are reflected in the words of Arthur Boyd upon his return to Australia and settling permanently at Bundanon in 1978:- ‘…the scale of the Shoalhaven was enormous’, with a fierce clarity to the light: ‘At times it was so intense the shadows became almost black.’ For him, the contrast of the Australian bush with that of the relatively curated ‘garden-like’ environs of England fascinated him to action via painting, resolving to ‘know it’ by painting it. It is in this spirit that I connect to country, learning its stories while celebrating its complex character and beauty.
In partnership with ‘mother trees’, smaller but strongly rooted eucalypts line the narrow, unsealed road to Riversdale. They stand as silent witnesses to flood and fire, drought and abundance-their sheer size deeply anchored inside the land supporting steep riverbanks. They silently play their part in supporting this delicate landscape. My response to the structural qualities of the land, its natural forms, light and mood of place in this painting are reflected in the words of Arthur Boyd upon his return to Australia and settling permanently at Bundanon in 1978:- ‘…the scale of the Shoalhaven was enormous’, with a fierce clarity to the light: ‘At times it was so intense the shadows became almost black.’ For him, the contrast of the Australian bush with that of the relatively curated ‘garden-like’ environs of England fascinated him to action via painting, resolving to ‘know it’ by painting it. It is in this spirit that I connect to country, learning its stories while celebrating its complex character and beauty.