The Mind’s Eye – Hannah van der Wal

I drive the road between Yirrkala and Nhulunbuy multiple times in a week. So often as I’m driving along at 100kmph I find myself scanning the bush. Little snap shots that my mind’s eye isolates. Splashes of unexpected colour, the interesting twist of a tree trunk, the ominous formation of a dark cloud.  If I’m a passenger then even better, I can catch finer details. As my mind takes in what it can see I start to create compositions in my head. Imagining that tree on a canvas and how it fills the space. Pondering how I would create that exquisite colour red of the leaves left behind by a recent burn-off. Imagining what kind of layers or brushstrokes I’d need to truly capture what it is I’m interested in here. The bush has been my muse this last year. Even when I have had no time to put physical paint to canvas I have been creating work in my head, storing it away and then waiting with great anticipation for the next day that I have to paint and get it all out of my head and onto canvas. These landscapes are mostly intuitive. They are born from many an hour spent driving, walking, sitting or wandering through the bush. They are a part of me, they are an expression of my mood , my inner state, my growth and my learnings. In that bush I have found myself over and over again. I am so grateful that my art has directly brought me closer to nature. I can’t help but observe it’s intricacies. It is a plethora of inspiration. Where will my mind’s eye rest in this vast landscape that I find myself in today? Amongst all the beautiful glorious chaos what one detail will capture my attention wholeheartedly? These ever changing places. Wild and free.

Hannah van der Wal