Elli Cox
St Mary's Catholic College
REFUGE?
Drawing
Ink on paper
'Home' is known as a place of refuge, a person's safe place and often their livelihood. Where is our safe place now? My body of work represents recent abnormal events that destroyed many people's 'safe place'. Inspired by Robyn Sweaney's and Howard Arkley's ability to explore notions of Australian identity and place through simple streetscapes and homes, I drew flood-affected homes in my own small town to express the disaster of the floods.
My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists: Robyn Sweaney, Howard Arkley.
Marker's Commentary
Refuge? challenges traditional notions of home, the vulnerability to nature and flood waters, and the stability this concept represents. In a quiet, refined triptych of three ink on paper drawings, the artist skilfully renders this idea of home, emphasising textural elements of iconic domestic buildings.
A new appreciation of the architectural elements of typical Australian architecture surfaces as the viewer moves between each panel of closely observed detail. In the lower third of each drawing, the confident pen work bleeds into a broad, flooding brushstroke of tinted wash. The addition of water alters the careful linework into diffused patches of ink. This bold choice suggests to the audience the impact of water - the floods - on the experience of home in Australia.