Mandy Tootell: Territory Blue Exhibition Catalog

Some of these works required an etching
press, which both Katherine High and
Katherine Regional Arts have. And it’s my
favourite piece of equipment!
Q: For you as a creative person, who are
three influential artists or thinkers?
A: Rebecca Cool is a WA artist who uses
fabric in her paintings and lots of colour! I
love her whimsy and ability to paint on
anything. One day I would love to visit her
open studio in the Margaret River region.
Jenny McCabe is an English artist who is
the master of collagraphs! Thanks to the
wonders of Instagram, I was able to
contact her and use her technique. Our
collagraphs use recycled tetrapaks, and
the possibilities are endless. There are so,
so many other artists I admire—including
my children!
Q: What are you planning for 2023 that
nobody knows about yet?
A: I've been planning an exhibition at ABC
Brunette Races on Brunette Downs for
the past couple of years, and hoping that
this is the year we might actually be able
to pull it off!
It will be an art exhibition in the middle of
bum truck nowhere! And the subject
matter will be a little different than
Territory Blue—horses and cattle!
Q: If you went away from the the Big
Rivers Region for a long time and then
came back, what are the first three
things you would do or visit?
A: Katherine hot springs (with brunch
from the Pop Rocket), Bitter Springs at
Mataranka, and Pawpaw salad from the
Katherine markets on Saturday morning!
Q: In one sentence, can you define art?
A: It’s called an Arts Practice because art
is not just about looking. It’s about the
doing, the creating, the process, the
experimenting and the learning.
"Mandy’s work offers insight into
the illusive lives of these birds;
their companionship, their flight
and their cheekiness"
Left: Radjah Shelduck. Centre: Red Collared Lorikeet. Right: Little Corella.
Acrylic paint on stretched fabric