Emma Simpson
Mosman High School
SECOND GLANCE
Collection of Work
Dry-point monotypes, Pen and Pastel
I am interested in the remarks typically made about plants that bloom. Stereotypes about beauty perpetuated through art have inhibited the appreciation of the 'ordinary' and 'imperfect', making the invisibility of common objects a recurrent theme throughout the past few centuries. My body of work is based on what I see where I bushwalk, with the intent of drawing attention to the overlooked beauty of non-flowering Australian flora. I examine the compositional idea of 'two' in my work through a symmetrical linear arrangement of dried leaves, tree-bark and banksias. I invite the audience to look again at the beauty of plants.
My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists: Leila Jeffreys, Claude Monet, Olive Cotton, Henry Moore.
Marker's Commentary
Second Glance presents an intimate series of Australian flora, carefully curated in a highly refined and balanced composition. Each specimen has been meticulously represented in a centrally suspended composition, reminiscent of early botanic studies documented by explorers. This collection of works reveals a deliberate and sophisticated interplay that goes beyond the paper surface depictions and explores the practices of printmaking and drawing as well as the macro and micro depictions of seedpods, leaves and bark found in local Australian bushland.
The diverse pictorial styles employed in these drawings and prints, ranges from realism to abstraction and challenge traditional notions of representation. This emphasises the interplay between the subject and the material, as seen in the prints featuring depictions of trees, cleverly acknowledging representational connection to the iconic subject matter. This is reinforced by the inclusion of chine collé bark in the compositions throughout the series. This innovative use of materials and their contextual relationship demonstrates a thoughtful consideration of how the artwork will be received by an audience. Conceptually, this body of work delves into the representation of exquisite beauty found in what may first appear as ordinary.
The technical skills showcased in the realistic depiction of the seed pods contrast with the abstraction of the trees and the use of mono prints. These varied approaches to rendering subject matter offer distinct stylistic choices that invite multiple interpretations. Through these different treatments, the artist strategically presents an informed and sophisticated range of innovative approaches in their practice.