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Spotted Shield 2,
2012. Enamel, black Japan, scorch marks woodstain,
liming solution on inscribed timber panel,
120x40cm enamel, |
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Spotted Shield 1, 2012. Enamel, acrylic, black Japan, scorch marks, woodstain,
liming solution on inscribed timber panel , 120x40 cm. |
Katherine Boland
The following exert from 'Gleaning Nature' by Phe Luxford, 2011.
'While she could be described as a globe trotter – she has spent time in France, America, Italy and the Middle East – it is her relationship with the Australian bush that inspires and continues to inform her practice. These works speak directly of the climate of her homeland. Dry and somewhat foreboding, the native bushland of Australia is in a constant state of decay and renewal. With the approach of summer’s peak the forest floor becomes a tinder box. Trees drop their branches, bark furls and seed pods fall to the ground ready to be opened by the heat of the seasonal bushfires. Uncontrollable and devouring, fire in this environment serves as an important element within the order of establishing new growth.
With this cycle in mind, Boland begins the act of mark making by subjecting the surfaces of her large wood panels to the transformative power of flame. The heat of blow torch and branding iron releases the natural oils of the timber to create a velvety, blackened base surface, echoed with spots of fire and flame. A process of carving, incising and staining serve to capture the textures and colours of the natural forms they seek to suggest and bond with the natural elements.
Boland’s resulting shield-like shapes invite us to look into them, to search their surfaces for depth and new meaning. Tactile and resilient, they appear to possess clear character and purpose as they stand upright within the blackened background. Inky rivers of varnish drip from their centres like sap weeping from a wound. Perhaps these glistening centres represent a void, a cracking open, and outpouring of new potential life. Nature in this instance is generative....'
Boland has exhibited nationally and internationally. In 2010 she was the winner of the Heysen Prize for place. Her work is represented in many corporate and public collections.
