Ratcatchers Camp

Mandy Martin

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Ethabuka Reserve 2008

Desert Channels

The Impulse to Conserve

Libby Robin, Chris Dickman and Mandy Martin (eds.)

With an Exhibition of Landscape Studies by Mandy Martin and photography by Angus Emmott.

Overall concept

This project centres on the Desert Channels Country in south-western Queensland, including the Simpson Desert and Mound Springs country (Edgbaston, north east of Longreach) that explores the impulse to protect the varied biodiversity of the region in many ways. It comprises a book, an exhibition and potentially a web-based resource suitable for schools and other educational groups.

This is a series of 12 landscape studies made in the Simpson Desert. The aim of the works is to represent the landscape as one experiences it when walking through it, that is from a number of different viewpoints of the one place. I aimed to use as little artifice as possible and replace instead simple observation and found pigment combined with natural pigments. All the colours used are naturally sourced earth colours except the titanium white pigment. The “green” is from crushed gravel from the track on our property. The works are a visual record of the ordinary or unremarkable and reveal that this landscape is in fact rich with aesthetic qualities. This in simple terms is the truth to be gained from painting landscape and the intention is to raise awareness of the special and different qualities in the landscape which may not be not immediately obvious.