by Natalie Martin
A collection of small works on paper from my recent Artist Residency at Falls Creek in the Victorian Alps. A mixture of en plein airand studio studies of the landscape. I was particularly captivated by the colours in the autumn air, across the Bogong High Plains and around the village as well as the textures created by the unique environment.
The skeletons of previously burnt snow gums feature in almost every view. Eerily beautiful, they accentuate every ridge and valley. I learned a lot about the predicament of the snow gums during my time in the high country. Their resilience and ability to regenerate is being tested by the frequency of recent bushfires and a tiny native beetle who kills off the trees. I wanted to capture a sense of this in the works too.
March - April 2022
Archival quality prints, each an edition of 50.
Hello from Falls Creek in the beautiful alpine country in Victoria! I'm up here for nearly three weeks as their artist-in-residence. The idea of the residency is to reinvigorate year-round cultural activity on the mountain and I get the opportunity to draw from the unique features of Victoria’s pristine alpine environment, surrounded by National Park, to reflect, research and develop creative ideas.
Working in a sketch book is always something I'm trying to improve on. Typically I'm horrendous at keeping any kind of organised 'sketch book', any bit of scrap paper or note page at hand is it and they all fly around my studio loosely. I also have a penchant for the ol' butcher's paper and love to draw up and plan on large sheets. So basically, it's a mess and there's no organisation to it at all. I'm never able to find anything again either.
I was so lucky to be able to see the end of the wildflower season during my time up in the Victoria Alps. I missed most of the action being here in March/April, the majority of the blooms start in late December and flourish through January and February. Nevertheless, I got treated to some of the stragglers!
My residency has sadly come to a close, I have had the most wonderful time! My nearly 3 weeks up here have seen every kind of weather condition just shy of snow, from blazing sunshine to complete white out. I've had an alpine experience to say the least!
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