Looking at the Overlooked is the artwork I made for the Earth Canvas Exhibition at Mildura Arts Centre, 8 October – 28 November 2021. I was paired up with Food Next Door Co-Op, a regenerative farm which works with the Burundian and Congalese communities in Mildura to create a work in response to their farming practices. (See previous post.)
Looking at the Overlooked, installation view at Mildura Arts Centre. Pastel and coloured pencil on paper, 70h x 250w cm
This is the first time that I have incorporated coloured pencil with my pastel drawings to create even more detail and texture.The bugs in the middle panel reference the insects that are returning to the land once chemicals are no longer used and the soil is regenerated. The dragonfly, wanderer butterfly and earthworm are all directly connected with the farm and the return of insect which are not in competition with the produce. The cicada, as much as it is the sound of summer in Mildura, is a reference to Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717), a German born naturalist and scientific illustrator who drew plants with specific interest in insects. The cicada is taken from one of her works, Branch of Pomegranate with Lnterfly and Cicada, 1702-03. It is a homage to her influence on my creative practice.
Looking at the Overlooked. Detail, Dragonfly, Cicada, Butterfly and Earthworm
I included the Slant Faced Grasshopper, after Peter Webb, Grower’s Mentor at the Food Next Door Co-Op showed me a picture he had taken of the grasshopper on the farm. At that point I was not sure what kind of grasshopper it was. But I was so excited to include something so personal and specific in the drawing.
Looking at the Overlooked. Detail, Slant Faced Grasshopper
Images that I told whilst researching at Food Next Door Co-Op in the lead up to the creation of the work.
Food Next Door Co-Op – in progress
Food Next Door Co-Op – plantings
Food Next Door Co-Op – shed