South-African born, Ipswich-based Jane du Rand uses her art practice to document and better understand the world around her, building three-dimensional landscapes that feature the native flora and fauna she encounters while bushwalking west of Brisbane. Having made note of everything she’s seen while hiking, she recreates these scenes using a combination of ceramic and mosaic techniques. Presented under glass cloches, they are reminiscent of the dioramas found in natural history museums – a contemporary sculptural version of the early natural history illustrations and specimen displays that existed in the Victorian era.  Originally trained as an architect, du Rand’s practice … Continue reading Jane du Rand: Ornithological Observations

Julian Meagher uses art to make sense of the world, charging his romantic compositions with difficult questions about masculinity, mortality and our nation’s self-image. His works speak to physical and social landscapes of Australia, the histories we inherit and how … Continue reading Julian Meagher: Sleepwalking

Having spent the past few years as a perpetual nomad, passing through some of Australia’s most iconic landscapes, Emily Imeson can speak with authority on the therapeutic benefits of being engulfed by nature. For Imeson, it is fundamental to her … Continue reading Emily Imeson: Painting Tasmania

The Law of Superposition states that in any sequence of layered rocks, a given layer must be older than any layer on top of it. A basic law of geochronology, it is fundamental to the interpretation of Earth’s history and … Continue reading Ari Athans: Arrival

Whether surrounded by nature or in a sundrenched corner of her Darlinghurst studio, Bronte Leighton-Dore is inspired by the joy that comes from being wholly in the ‘now’. Informed by an abiding interest in psychology, spirituality and Buddhist theory, her … Continue reading Bronte Leighton-Dore: Made of Dust

For Julia Sirianni, painting is more than a pastime – it is a way of finding calm in a world that causes anxiety.  Location is everything. Each painting is the result of hours of research, scouring landscapes for the perfect … Continue reading Julia Sirianni: Suburban Sanctuaries

It is hard for Australians to appreciate the precious commodity daylight can be. Being almost permanently sun-drenched across the continent, it’s easy to take our weather for granted. Days when the sun is not a dazzling, stinging, fireball high above … Continue reading Helle Cook: Community of Light