Hannah Mulquiny
Northern Beaches Secondary College Mackellar Girls Campus
FINDING MY PLACE
Printmaking
Lino relief on Stonehenge paper
Using repetitive circular motifs as the basis for my designs, I experimented with multiple plate and shaped-block processes in my body of work to investigate landscape and the mapping of its physical and geographic features. The work can be understood as an aerial view of place, where individual panels are micro or macroscopic representations of features within: undulating lines like fingerprints; concentric circles like the contour lines that show elevation in mapping; intricate designs like microscopic cellular structures. My title, Finding My Place, conveys a connection to my home and also the artistic pursuit of making a body of work.
My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists: Nava Lubelski, Karl Blossfeldt, Yayoi Kusama, Bruce Riley, Georgia O’Keeffe, John Olsen.
Marker's Commentary
Finding My Place is a refined and thoughtfully constructed work. Each abstracted element and cellular scape contributes to a layered mapping of place, both geographic and metaphorical. Subtle, carefully rendered references to the natural world reflect a deep engagement with landscape from multiple perspectives, inviting viewers to form their own interpretation of the array of patterns. Technically and materially, the work is highly accomplished, demonstrating confidence in a range of relief printmaking techniques.
The composition is both experimental and intricate, with visually rich surfaces emerging through the sensitive use of colour, interwoven linear forms, layered stencil masks, and overprinted organic forms. These elements create rhythm and movement, unifying the work and reinforcing its conceptual depth. The body of work unfolds gradually, rewarding close attention to the micro and macro worlds, beautifully transformed, akin to abstracted aerial maps. With each viewing, new layers of meaning emerge from the striking topographical compositions, offering a contemplative and evolving reflection on the natural world.