Grindell’s Hut Residency, 2007
Grindell’s Hut located in the heart of the Vulkathunha – Gammon Ranges National Park, one of the many stunning parks in the Flinders Ranges & Outback region of South Australia. The park forms part of the traditional country of the Adnyamathanha people and is rich with cultural significance. It is also a haven for many rare and endangered plants and animals.
Italowie Gorge, Acrylic on Canvas, 182.50×50.5cm
In 2007, I completed the one month Grindell’s Hut residency. For 31 days, I lived in a two bedroom hut half way up a hill, on the Wortupa Loop Road, (4WD) 26 km from the Park Headquarters at Balcanoona. On the way to the residency, the transmission on my Troop (troop carrier) gave up ten kilometers from Coply. I started the residency with two days in the Coply caravan park and then Ron Johnston, community officer, drove me to the Balcanoona. From there a ranger drove me to Grindell’s Hut. It was amazing being dropped in such an isolated place, with only very weak lights from the solar panels, no power sockets, so no music, no computer, no phone. I would wake up with the first false dawn, go for a four hour walk, fighting the flies at the end of each walk and then spend the day painting, cooking dinner as the sun started sinking and going to bed as soon as the day’s light disappeared. Six months later I had an exhibition at Fountain Gallery in Port Augusta.
Each day when I would go walking, I would take a small canvas and some acrylic paints and paint something that interested me during the walk. Some of these scretch paintings became the source for the bigger works in the exhibition.
Italowie Turnoff
Canvas on acrylic, 106.5×81cm