Artist Profile: Barbara Dawson
As an artist Jervis Bay is my great teacher.
Over a span of 25 years this land has patiently taught me what it is to be present to a place and its spirit; what it means to be nested in the world; how to be open to conversation with it.
And I am not alone. When I became a permanent resident here a decade ago I soon found networks of creative practitioners throughout the Shoalhaven – visual artists, sculptors, performers, musicians, poets, writers, craftspeople, artisans, gallerists, curators, you name it, they are all here.
No matter what form their creative practice takes these creators share a strong and binding thread, an acute awareness and deep concern for the environment.
This is the first in a series of profiles of active artists living and working in the Shoalhaven, introducing you to locals who both care for this place and enrich its cultural life.
Meet Barbara Dawson
It’s a pleasure and privilege to count Barbara Dawson amongst my friends and creative collaborators, and a neighbour in Jervis Bay.
Artist Barbara Dawson in her Jervis Bay studio
On any given day you will likely find Barbara in her light-filled, home studio, with a view out to her native garden.
One wall is lined with shelves that house books as well as bowls of ‘nature’ items for inspiration. Another wall has a display of her photos. As a perpetual photographer Barbara captures daily moments in local landscapes that give her direct inspiration.
Artist Barbara Dawson’s studio
Another wall is full of fascinating ephemera collected from local foraging and decades of world travels. Elsewhere long textile works are found draped over anything that serves as a suitable hanger or hook. In one corner stands an easel and etching press. At the centre and edges of Barbara’s creative space are large work tables housing a range of works in different media, in various stages of development.
“I love the stillness and quiet in my work space and do not feel the need for music. I live within a stones throw of national park and the bird life is often a constant hum.”
Artist Barbara Dawson’s studio
Barbara has multiple interwoven streams to her art practice. One, drawing, mixed media and printmaking. Another is textile and fibre art. Both of which are underpinned by photography and film. Some days you’ll find her house and studio filled with the aroma of eucalyptus coming from pots on the verandah, boiling leaves from the garden to create dyes.
“It is an enduring preoccupation in my practice to celebrate the rhythm and flow of nature, the effects of the passage of time, the beauty of patterns formed by erosion. These cycles of growth and decay are a reminder of the fragility of our environment and the effects we have on it.”
Barbara Dawson, 2022. Forgotten Land (Detail). Cloth, eco-dye, thread. 26×20 cm, unframed
Layered Land: Time, Fragility, Repair
Barbara’s next exhibition, Layered Land: Time, Fragility, Repair, can be seen at M16 Artspace, 21 Blaxland Crescent, Griffith ACT 2603, from Thursday March 21- Sunday 14 April, 2024
Online Gallery & Shop
You can see the full range of Barbara’s work on her website and purchase items in her online shop with free shipping Australia wide.
