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Rowan S Douglas
the Garden Path
I love a sunburnt country (detail)
Polyester resin, 2007
33 x 275 x 400cm
Rowan completed his Bachelor of Arts in Sculpture at Victorian College
of the Arts in 2001 and since graduating has explored many varied
forms of art. His experiments with wood and chainsaw carving led him
to become a tree surgeon to learn more about the material he was
working with, to better understand its application within his art
practice. In recent years, due to injury, he has had to look at ‘softer’
ways of producing art. In order to fund his practise, he has been
working full time for many years always trying to keep a balance
between his artistic and working self. In late 2005, he created the artist
run gallery, Reaktion Space in Abbotsford Melbourne. The experience
gained from this enterprise has proved an ongoing source of inspiration
and motivation.
Originally coming
from a small dairy farm,
my recent work draws on
the land and the way
that I perceive it, either
from my mind’s eye
(memory), photos or aerial
views. Recent events and
information publicised
widely in the media such
as global warming and
climate change and the
ever present drought have
forced me to take action in
my own way ... if the land
dies then so do the people
and animals that inhabit
it.
This piece focuses on the
relationship between the
earth and humankind.
Each section of this work
represents a different cross
section of the environment,
particularly with regard to
salinity and the effects of
land clearing, both here in
Australia and globally.
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