The entirety, all together, the good and the bad… the whole shebang. Karlee Rawkins’ latest exhibition of paintings consider what it means to experience life completely, to appreciate all the elements, to flourish, and celebrate the beauty in chaos and uncertainty.
Rawkins’ work ultimately explores our relationship with nature and the power this imagery holds within our psyche. “I’m drawn to places and animals with potential to represent concepts such as transformation, resilience and adaption. Our connection with nature and each other, is central to a sense of belonging and purpose. This sense of interconnectedness, of something greater than ourselves, that is the experience of awe or wonder. That is the totemic, the shared experience that can be empowering and re-assuring.”
This new series considers our capacity to navigate uncertainty, the unexpected, and continue moving forward, to be courageous. The direct and intuitive painting method she has developed is also driven by a desire to convey joy, optimism and surprise. Influenced by recent travels through Central Queensland, the paintings in this exhibition draw on the vastness, colours and rhythms of the landscapes encountered there. The paintings depict the animals, tropical palms and the brown earth and rocks of the gorges, through layers of ambiguity, bold colour, transparency and brushwork the subject and landscape merge into pattern.
“I am attracted to ambiguity, to pattern and diversity in a painting. I have a visual impairment that affects my sense of distance and perception so I am interested in how we see things, how our experiences are similar or different, and how they can change dramatically.”
“I feel the greatest gift I can give my kids is the experience of wilderness, of the awe and wonder of nature. So when we travel I am absolutely delighted to see them have this connection to different environments, to the animals, seasons, to the patterns of nature, and these are the qualities I hope to share in my art works. So our adventures are my field work, where I can collect the materials, colours, textures and memories that I work with back in my studio.”
