LOCAL ARTIST, Noela Mills, has a new approach to her painting. She staples her canvas to the deck then uses a broom or an extended house painter’s brush to apply her paints. Noela explains how this technique uses the whole body in the application of paint through free-flowing expansive movements.
In this piece, she has also allowed gum leaves to settle on the surface as the tannin from the leaves make interesting stenciled patterns. While Noela thoroughly enjoys the spontaneity of this process, she later carefully cuts and stitches the canvas, adding other elements to obtain the desired result.
She learnt this ‘gestural mark making’ technique at a recent Fibres Conference in Ballarat where she studied under Canadian artist, Dorothy Caldwell. Noela was awarded a Sunshine Coast Regional Council RADF grant to help her attend this week long workshop.
The first project using this new technique will be an ephemeral piece for the Lucas Parklands Open Garden show and sculpture exhibition on June 12, 13. Noela’s canvas will be hanging amongst the trees and the gestural ‘mark making’ will echo the natural landscape.
Leave a Reply