119 cm (w) x 67 cm (h), acrylic paints on board.
Date produced: October 2017 - April 2018
This was designed and painted entirely in my studio, away from the real subject. This visual composition expresses aspects of being at the subject Moreton Bay Fig tree used in my microcosm project. The basic design comes from experiencing the tree from in under its dense canopy, seeing the shapes of its many massive branches and buttress roots, and seeing the masses of foliage from inside the hemisphere of its canopy. Importance was placed on trying to express the feelings of confronting such a massive organism, with its own strong presence, in the subdued light under the tree’s dense canopy, seemingly with its own sub-environment. Nutrients are systematically collected from rotting debris amongst the buttress roots. There is an ‘exchange’ of atmospheric gases during photosynthesis. Exotic tropical bird calls ring out from various corners of the canopy. The image is based on compiling more of a concept of the tree from the shapes of the tree’s various trunks, buttress roots, and branches, rather than being a realistic single view of the tree. I used lines of dots throughout the painting, mainly because I find these in indigenous artwork are graphically powerful, and they felt appropriate for this painting. I am not trying to produce artwork that is trying to masquerade as indigenous artwork. I am not indigenous. There is also a strong influence coming from the Japanese woodcut prints of Hokusai, in the flat shapes of colour with fine black outlines used to describe the main boughs and buttress roots of the tree.
Acrylic paint typically dries quickly. While producing this painting, I worked out a good way of being able to keep mixed acrylic paint colours for several weeks. The painting took many weeks to produce. Overall, I really enjoyed designing and painting this image.
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