Grammar Gazette- Issue 2, 2015

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DESERT COLOURS ART TOUR

AUTHOR Elizabeth Cox (12R)

natural surroundings in our work. It was interesting to learn about Namatjira, a watercolourist who was the first Indigenous artist to become recognised nationally and internationally for his particular way of capturing the light, colour and essence of central Australia using European painting techniques. He was also one of the first Indigenous Australians to be granted citizenship. Shockingly, it took ten more years for the government to grant the same rights to the rest of the First Nations people. The trip made me proud to live in such a beautifully diverse country. After spending so much time outdoors, connecting with nature, I now understand why Indigenous Australians are spiritually, physically and culturally connected with the land.

IN THIS YEAR’S APRIL HOLIDAYS, FOURTEEN STUDENTS, ALONG WITH MS MCKEAN AND MRS MCINTOSH TRAVELLED TO CENTRAL AUSTRALIA FOR THE DESERT COLOURS ART TOUR. It was incredible! Thanks to Ms McKean’s extensive planning, our days were filled with artistic activities and exploring sites including Standley Chasm, Kata Tjuta and Uluru. Still we never felt rushed — there was always plenty of time to sit on our ‘painting towel’, breathe in the cool desert air, and work on a piece of art inspired by the landscape. Being able to paint, collage, photograph, linocut and draw our surroundings allowed us to absorb details that we would otherwise never have noticed. On one of the days, we visited Ellery Creek, and spent three hours watercolour painting. In this time, I picked up the deep purple and orange tones in the waterhole, observed the ever-changing shadows along the surrounding rock formations, and noticed the sounds of creatures and native birds going about their day. On our last day in Alice Springs, we visited the Araluen Arts Centre. We were lucky enough to have a guided tour by the curator, who showed us the Albert Namatjira Gallery and the Desert Mob exhibition. Here we discovered a new appreciation for Australian landscape artists, in particular Indigenous artists, who have a unique skill for reflecting the colours and elements of the Australian desert in their works. Our appreciation was highlighted by our own challenges in representing the

Photograph of Ellery Creek Big Hole

The author’s watercolour painting of Ellery Creek Big Hole

GRAMMAR GAZETTE