Many a time have I hiked into the wilderness, onto glaciers, through the forests and into the mountains, far from human contact, save the odd lone walker that smiles and nods in their wake. I have inundated myself with the depth and immensity of natural phenomena as a solitary explorer. It is as if I see things not with my eyes, but with the whole body. My imagination and body ride equally with the intellect. In this primal soup of nature, I felt myself merge and dissolve, knowing the difference between the nourishment provided by natural surroundings and the temporary entertainment transmitted through culture. I am touched by deep, secret places.
Walking into and through the forest or the ocean is the practice that evolves a rhythm of walking into a rhythm of painting. It is about the play and interplay of merging, feeling colours and forms encircle the body as it sways gently in pace, allowing the gentle hum of the walkscape to cradle body movement.
An exhibition of painted and printed works to elicit moving through walkscapes is in South Fremantle this October, 7 – 10. A vitality of and for the land emerges, since nature excites as much as it consoles allowing a steady pace to follow.
