SUE SMALKOWSKI | MEMORY OF PLACE

JOIN THE ARTIST ON SATURDAY 25TH JUNE, 3 - 5PM 'My works in this exhibition explore how memory is linked to location, to place. In times of a pandemic, with national border closures and restrictions, I was unable to physically journey to immerse myself in nature. Instead, I found the inspiration for my paintings and drawings from memory of place. The genesis of these works occurred in vastly differing environments. Sketching and painting trips including my own backdoor in the Illawarra where coastal southerly winds whip the ocean and where sunlight flits across the rockpools and sand. I recalled driving through land and towns devastated by bushfires that left blackened tree trunks and a lingering smoke haze. I had taken tranquil bushwalks through sage foliage and moss-covered boulders listening to the soothing trickle of creeks. I have seen towering ranges, deep gullies and the soft scattering of dandelion while marvelling at the desert sunset glows of pink and orange. Even though these paintings have emerged in my home studio my memory is strongly connected to place and place to colour. Sage, ash, fiery reds, magenta, sky blue. Colour is also linked to texture. Mark-making, scrapping back, layered oils add to this visceral, visual exploration of memory, of place.' - Sue Smalkowski 2022