About the Artist

STELLA CLARKE

mobile: 0475521501

I am a British-Australian painter, with both an artistic and academic background. I was born in East Anglia, studied at the University of Warwick, and I have lived in various places around Australia. I now live amongst trees, in the quiet of a bush block, ornamented with wildflowers and birdsong. It is an inspiring place to create, to see the year turn, through chilled and misty winter, bright wattle time, and into the blue and gold of summer days. I see Eucalypts through every window of the studio, catching the glow of late afternoon light, or glistening after rain, and there is always the company of wildlife. I feel very lucky to have been able to make this studio gallery space here, where I can welcome visitors and share my work.

I don't have to go far to find a pocket of the landscape in which to immerse myself, to exercise my senses, to notice all the intricacies of the sights and sounds around me. When I experience this complex tapestry of interconnected natural things, I often think of Henry Thoreau's words, 'man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to leave alone'. I wish we could all afford to leave more of nature alone to recover and thrive; but in the meantime, I make as little impact as I can while I walk quietly amongst the community of creatures and plants, observe my surroundings, and try to translate my responses into art, I take photographic, plein air or written notes, which I later use as a reference point for composition and interpretation in the studio. I work in a variety of media including oils and charcoal. My aim is to work as sustainably as possible, to create visually stimulating and emotionally resonant works, which are a homage to the ecological beauty and life of places I love.

For me, now, landscape painting is not a simple matter, when the fragility of our natural environments is a concern. My hope is that my paintings can be a reminder of why we need to maintain connection to that realm, and not lose it.

I am also a writer and researcher (having lectured in the arts in universities in the UK and Australia). As a practicing artist, I have increasingly drawn upon thought in the domain of environmental issues. This year I will be awarded a Master of Visual Arts for research supported by an Australian Commonwealth Government Research Training Program Scholarship.

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