CONNEXION
- Rosalind Atkins

‘‘Connexion’ is about relationships to the environment. The prints in this exhibition are about places and environments that are significant for me and for others who by their actions integrate with nature. 

As one of the artists participating in ‘Earth Canvas’ (a project that invited artists to work on regenerative farms in southern NSW), what I found at Joy and Bill Wearn’s Yammacoona, Little Billabong, NSW was action that is thoughtful and thought that is active.

‘The project aimed to link the artists’ perspective on the land with the farmers’ management of the land’*

Capturing various aspects of the farm and the impact farming in a kinder way had on the wellbeing of land, animals, and people through prints was my aim.

‘The forest that sustained her’ is dedicated to my friends Ruth and Rex, who lovingly planted a forest at their home in Sydney many years ago. Their thinking and the now mature forest show what is possible in an urban environment. It is a very special place that has sustained Ruth’s art practice throughout her long career and our friendship.

Closer to home and caught in the grips of COVID lockdowns I turned my attention to the trees on my regular walks along the Yarra. The Eucalyptus Saligna in Kate’s garden inspired my work ‘Considering the tree’, while the nearby regenerated wetland area prompted ‘Columns in a shock of light’. I was fortunate to see these trees in all sorts of light, seasons, and conditions.

The print ‘Heide window’ is an aspect of the garden viewed from the inside of Heide Museum of Modern Art set on the site of a once significant Wurundjeri gathering place. The gallery spaces are open to the environment showing the connection of art and architecture to the landscape and its history.

Together these engravings, woodcuts and monotypes speak of what occupies much of my thinking and making for the last four years.’ – Rosalind Atkins, 2023

* Earth Canvas, Linking artists with regenerative farmers catalogue p.1, 2022