Restraint

Striving to find the optimal place where process, medium and imagery emerge in equilibrium, Melinda Schawel's works are born of a delicate balancing act. In her latest series, Restraint, she further embraces the unpredictability inherent in this intuitive approach by setting herself various challenges - self-imposed limits on time, palette and medium. Ironically these limitations have, in effect, forced her to step back and be more aware of the fleeting moments in between her multi-layered processes, and more accepting of the 'bigger picture.'  Paying homage to the nuances of nature’s forms and textures, Schawel's compositions mirror the challenges we continue to face in terms of our precarious relationship with the planet, and the sensitivity required to maintain it. 

Melinda Schawel Notes for Restraint 2022 One of the most gratifying aspects of being an artist is the absolute freedom to make all of your own decisions - anything and everything from what time to start in the morning to which ink to use. This freedom often comes with a price however, and can sometimes result in an obsessive work ethic or a debilitating paralysis. An intuitive approach to art making can also be incredibly liberating, but the confidence required for it is not always easy to come by, especially in times of great stress.

In my next body of work, Restraint, I want to lighten the load, so to speak. A deep understanding of and passion for the chosen medium is more critical than ever, as each has its own ‘personality.’ Hot pressed, 640gsm Lanaquarelle is a very thick, French paper with soft cotton fibres and a smooth surface, easy to tear and drill but slightly unpredictable. Also 100% cotton and heavyweight is Italian made Fabriano Artistico, but more durable and reliable thereby requiring a heavier hand. The inks and fluid acrylics I use move and dry like water especially when diluted and fluctuate with seasonal temperatures; French Sennelier shellac-based inks reticulate and dry with a beautiful sheen, German Schminke acrylic inks are flat and intensely pigmented, and American made Golden fluid acrylics can mimic the most transparent watercolour. Graphite comes in many forms and can be used in a myriad of ways, as condensed, water soluble discs in the Portuguese made Artgraf or the buttery soft line of the Japanese Palomino Blackwing pencils.

Making good decisions about the medium but being more accepting of their unpredictability has also become even more essential for this series. Setting myself various tasks and challenges has forced me to be another step removed from the process with my ultimate aim to radiate a feeling of calm in both the finished work and the steps that I take to get to that point. I will continue to pay homage to nature’s abstract forms, textures and palettes and like many previous series, have zoomed in on a particular location and life form which has resilient, regenerative characteristics that allow it to thrive in the harshest of conditions. In this case, my specific focus is on the etched formations on the surf Coast of Victoria, and the incredible sea anemones that fill their rock pools. These multi-coloured creatures can reproduce asexually and survive low tides by retracting their tentacles and transforming into globular masses. Unsurprisingly, their biggest threats emanate from external (human) sources - poaching and pollution.

CATALOGUE ESSAY by Joey Hespe 2022 Over the last two years a new world presented itself out of the unravelling of a global pandemic. As the human population withdrew, the environment demonstrated that regeneration was possible with reduced human interference. The skies and waterways cleared, traffic vanished, and wildlife reclaimed haunts long ago surrendered to cars and people. It was this dichotomy of life and death that served Melinda Schawel’s philosophy and pushed her into responding in the only way she knew how – artmaking. Following on from her recent exhibitions that were centred around themes of interconnectedness, Restraint was created as a kind of quiet acceptance of the altered world in which we now find ourselves.

From afar Schawel’s works appear as giant ink blots, as if a quill has sat bleeding into the paper – or are they snapshots of rockpool ecology, or the aerial depiction of the Australian landscape? It’s on closer inspection that her works are textural, tactile and take on an existence of their own. Life blooms in organic forms that seep like tears into the thick skin of the paper. Jewels of colour - algae green, watery blue, and crimson tinged ink float from the surface, suspended in organic forms that mimic the natural world and the order of things. The Fibonacci sequence comes to mind to remind us that we are all connected – all life forms, whether animal, plant or fungi.

It’s Schawel’s commitment to her chosen medium that reveals the most. Her process starts with noise cancelling headphones – enabling complete disassociation from her surroundings into a subliminal world of her own constructed reality. It is within this course of removal that begins the act of discovery. Schawel highlights the importance of the physical act of making work as paramount to the mental state that is so significant to her method. Ink and pencil highlight forms – this is the gentlest part of her making – while the deliberate tearing, drilling and etching of paper is a cathartic removal – the end result being a state of calm for the artist and for the viewer.

The sea anemone that proliferates in rock pools along the Victorian Surf Coast serves as a muse for this series; its ability to withstand changing tides allows it to thrive in the harshest of conditions. Drifting appears as an expanse of white, the anemone-like shape of which sits floating amongst drilled bubbles, subtle curls and streaks of watery blues. It is no surprise then that Schawel’s fascination with these ‘flowers of the sea’ aligns with her continual longing to be a part of this soothing, weightless, undersea world. In Evergreen, a map-like arrangement of organic shapes appear to float; islands of verdant greens and earthy browns take on a presence of their own, whilst we are left pondering how far the stain of the human problem will seep before we are all metaphorically lost at sea.

From a passionate process that’s driven to create abstraction, Schawel’s work culminates in the expression of a narrative around rejuvenation, documentation and a passion for process and materials. By engaging with her work,  we are reminded that the flow of life and the inevitability of death are what connects every living organism on Earth, and that fleeting moments of beauty must be celebrated, because what is today, may not be tomorrow.

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Artist Profile:Born in Illinois, USA, Schawel received a BA in Fine Art from the University of California in 1993 and a Postgraduate Degree in Printmaking from RMIT in 1996. Schawel has been a finalist in the  Adelaide Perry Drawing Prize (2020) after winning the People’s Choice Award for the Adelaide Perry in 2018 . She has also been a finalist in the Whyalla Art Prize (2017), the Nillumbik Prize (2016, 2015, 2013) and the Fisher’s Ghost Art Award (2015, 2012). She has undertaken residency at the Art Vault in Mildura (2016), Chiang Mai Art on Paper Workshop, Thailand (2015) and at Frans Masereel Centre, Kasterlee, Belgium (2004). She held a successful solo exhibition at Art CentralHong Kong in 2018. Her work is held in the collections of the National Gallery of Australia, Artbank, Crown Casino, Geelong Regional Gallery, the Royal Museum of Fine Art in Antwerp, Belgium and the Whitehorse Art Collection. She has exhibited regularly since 1995 and has been selected for a number of prestigious commissions such as the Westin Hotel, the Park Hyatt in Melbourne and the City of Casey.