Art helps tackle grief
THROUGH grief, Paluma artist Colwyn Campbell found inspiration on the impermanence of life.
“Grieving at the deaths, within a few weeks of each other, of two people very dear to me, I found solace in walking the rainforest tracks around Paluma,” Campbell said.
“In these tranquil, beautiful surroundings, I was able to meditate on the cycles of life, death and renewal; so evident in the thriving life around me but also on the decay.
“The rainforest for me, exemplified the Buddhist concept of Anicca – impermanence: that all things, including the self, are impermanent and constantly changing.”
For Campbell, there was never any choice but to become an artist.
“I have drawn ever since I could hold a pencil,” she explained.
“I could be occupied for hours with paper and pencils, sketching plants and animals and domestic scenes such as Mum shopping, or children playing hopscotch while waiting for the school bus.”
Such was her love of art that one of her most memorable presents was a set of pencils for her ninth birthday. She started using paints a year later.
“I was thrilled to be given a muchdesired set of 72 ‘Derwent’ coloured pencils,” she said.
In those days, Campbell drew her inspiration from magazines.
“Magazines, way back when I was a child, were aimed at entertaining the whole family: they were full of articles on cooking, fashion, gardening, movie reviews, family health and many short stories,” she said.
“Photography was not used, so all these articles were lavishly illustrated by artists, as were the many advertisements. I aspired to being an artist working for a magazine company and pored over the pictures, studying techniques, designs and so on.”
Campbell said while her favourite medium is watercolour (for its delicacy and translucence), there are certain subjects that require a more robust treatment, hence her use of oils – including for her latest exhibition, Anicca.
“I took a liberty with my interpretation of this (Anicca) as I pondered the apparent paradox between impermanence, and the constancy of cycles of life,” she said.
“Leaves became my focus, my symbol for both death and continuity.
“A green leaf creates life-giving oxygen, it also feeds animals and insects.
“When it dies, it feeds bacteria and fungi and takes on a new life, enriching the soil for the next generation of plants and so a cycle begins again.
“The leaves aren’t permanent yet their essence is. So, painting leaves became a sort of meditation for me, a way of accepting that the physical presence of those I loved was impermanent but their essence exists in the world around and in our memories.
“For this exhibition I chose oils to express the strength of the cycles of renewal while at the same time emphasising the transience of all matter, symbolised by the leaves. The physicality of using oils generated for me both energy and emotional healing.
“I hope viewers will be drawn to meditate on what the works symbolise. Each viewer will of course bring their own interpretation to the paintings but, if nothing else, will find that they celebrate the rainforest and its importance to the environment.”