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Oil on canvas
Dayze of Innocence Series is about the 1960's Hippy's faith in doing life differently, rebelling and making innovative choices. This series questions some of the stereotypes, cliches and behaviours.Cethana Spring 1975 is a painting of the Cultural Landscape of North West Tasmania. In the shadow of Bell Mountain my siblings were representatives of the 1970's hippy counter-culture choosing a small bush block in Cethana to make their new home and become self- sufficient, as part of the "Back to the Land" movement. Some in the broader movement went onto the Franklin Dam demonstrations and saved much of Tasmania's wilderness from Forest industry destruction. The "Back to the Land" movement also nurtured Tasmania's creative community which my sister’ craft has contributed to for over 40 years. This creative community now supports an important Tourist industry in many towns and villages. Nestled in surrounding hills near Cradle Mountain, Bill Mollison's Permaculture was born and nurtured.
The Irony is that many of these folk (incl my siblings) were, among other things, chopping down trees to build their homes, setting up windmills to drain off spring water for their vegetable gardens and introducing goats to eat the blackberry weeds – not particularly eco-friendly.
This painting honours the "Back to the Land" movement with all its contradictions, hopes and dreams. The impact of this human activity and population growth has continued and is widely evident in our rural and semi- rural valleys all across Australia to this day. |
