Australian Nature Studies - Sanctuary
Artists book
29H x 19W x180Lcm
Linocut on handmade paper, found paper and tracing paper, collage of pages from J A Leach’s “Australian Nature Studies” (1922), ink, watercolour and pencil, post marks and stamps, twine and split pins
During the making of this book, the world was locked down by a global pandemic. On Phillip Island in Victoria, signs went up imploring residents to “stay safe and stay home”. Oblivious to these directives, the migratory birds of the Island were preparing instead for international travel, long distance flights back to their Northern homes. It amused me to imagine the Victorian Government trying to control the flight of these courageous little travellers using COVID19 updates that stressed our Stage 3 restrictions.
Each of Philip Island’s shorebirds – in particular the Bar-tailed Godwit, Hooded Plover and Short-tailed Shearwater - rely for their survival, on the unique, bio diverse habitat found at the end of the East Asian Australasian Flyway on Phillip Island; the dominating granite cliffs and protected dunes of Cape Woolamai, the mollusks, mud and mangroves of the Rhyll Inlet, the sandy beaches and rich marine life along the coast.
For me, the Island became a sanctuary during Covid 19 lockdowns. The opportunity to sit, draw and receive from nature during the pandemic was very grounding. I rediscovered a profoundly safe and sacred space in which to re-centre. I soaked myself in the island’s 'business-as-usual' response to our anxious, untethered world and found a quiet, calm and generous companion.
