Works in progress for a new collection of work called “Wallum Country”, inspired by the coastal heathlands of South East Queensland.
My studio is in the old mining town of Gympie, nestled close to bushland, and only a 45 minute drive to the coast where my family and I escape to the beach most weekends, and often walk the Noosa headland, a botanical wonderland and inspiration overload. This rugged coastal area is coined Wallum heath after the Wallum banksia, Banskia aemula, which is ubiquitous over the coastal sands. (abc.net.au)
This heathland describes a plant community where conditions are too tough for forests to get a foothold. I really feel drawn to this wild, scruffy landscape, this quote sums it up for me.
“Of all the things I’d been sceptical about, I didn’t feel sceptical about this: the wilderness had a clarity that included me.”
Cheryl Strayed, Wild.
