Geographique
Belonging to or characteristic of a particular region
For the last 25 years I have painted images of the land from a human visual perspective, this has been the traditional perspective of artists for centuries. In this exhibition I’m exploring a different approach to viewing the landscape. I wanted to represent the places I explore in a way that expresses my awe of the New Zealand landscape. I get great pleasure from sharing my vision with others and the wonderful feedback I’ve had has kept me excited about painting the land all these years. By painting the land from above, I invite the viewer to take flight and experience a bird’s eye view of the places they know and are familiar with.
In this series for ‘Geographique’ I utilise topographical maps and Google Earth to show the lay of the land as a launching place for my paintings. I overlay the contours viewed with my knowledge and experience of the geographical location. I use the true-to-life colours and textures observed, and materials such as mica and iron which come from the land itself. I have added metallic paints and metal leaf especially in areas that I value highly, or am most familiar with, such as the riverbed and lake edges where I’ve spent a lot of time exploring.I grew up next to the Waimakariri River, so braided riverbeds resonate with me – the works are very personal in this way.
This series has grown from earlier artisticexperimentation began in 2020; I was interested in exploring ways to show my journey through the
landscape. At the time I was doing a lot of long distance running and felt that the journey was a very important part of my life. I’ve long been interested in the Australian aboriginal art depicting landscape features that are relevant to their lives, such as watering holes and animal trails. As I travel the banks of the Clutha on a daily basis, I focused primarily on the Clutha Mata Au river area. I painted these initial works from a bird’s eye view showing sections of the river. My more recent works expand on this idea by using cartography as an underlying structure. This gives me the opportunity to explore different mediums such as rust paint, metallic paint and more recently metallic leaf. I’m also using new painting techniques which require the painting to be horizontal instead of vertical as I work.
My creative process starts with maps. I’ve spent years tramping, running and traveling around the land finding inspiration for my paintings. Along the way I acquired a love of topographical maps and can spend hours looking at the contours and imagining the places I haven’t yet been. The transference from map to image is similar to imagining a house or garden from a plan, a skill I gained while working as a landscape architect. Initially, I find a place on a topographical map that I’m familiar with and has appealing visual dynamics. I transfer the contours by hand straight onto the canvas. I then create a colour palette for the painting, mixing new colours that will express my feelings and memory of the place.
I work on the water element first, then eachcontour from low to high is painted. At this stage it is a base layer to build upon. I do it quickly and intuitively. Later I decide if the colours I have used work, and I’ll change some areas that don’t feel right. The rust layer goes on early as it goes on black. I then use an activator to start the rusting process. In these works I have dotted the rust onto the canvas to form little circular drips, these are reminiscent of erosion or rotting beech tree leaves on the forest floor. Lastly the metallic paint or leaf is applied. A lot of observing and adjusting occurs through the whole process. There are many layers of paint in each contour and it is all done by hand, I don’t use masking tape. My aim is to create a harmonious balance of colour, texture, contrast, and material while being true to the essence of the place as I see it.
– Diana Adams