The gorge from above  2012

Dried algae on paper

73x57cm SOLD

While taking a walk just down from the campsite at Ruby’s Gap (140km east of Alice Springs), the artist came upon what she thought was a work of installation art.  It looked as if someone had wrapped reams of tissue paper around the rocks, and over the dry river bed.  Closer inspection revealed that the ‘paper’ was in fact algae that had dried after the river had receded.  The forces of nature had pulped the algae to make beautiful paper.

This work was created on location from a single piece of dried algae, using its natural folds to recreate the contours of the rocky range.  If you look closely, you can see the imprints of sand, gum leaves and sticks which were set within the dried algae.  This adds to the texture of the work, and reminds us that the elements of nature are inseparable in this Central Australian environment.   Acrylic paint was added to the dried algae form to capture the vivid colours of the landscape.   The blue-grey portions of the image reflect those parts of the range through which a bushfire had raged during time the artist was there.