Sarah Jane Marchant

Red dirt, spinifex, and boab trees of the Kimberley I see in a partially surrealist manner, with vibrant colours, wide open spaces and abstracted patterns in the landscape. The Kimberley region was my first and lasting impression of Australia over 10 years ago and my memory of the landscape is still a continual inspiration.

The unique boab tree is my focal point for a majority of my current work, conveying a subtle message through the landscape. The aged tree is full of character and personality and it has been a natural progression in my work to use the boab tree to represent the embodiment of woman, and, as time has gone on and my life has changed, motherhood has become a central theme in my work. The boab, in the past was used by the aboriginal community for many things including shelter, food, medicine and a meeting point, much like a mother and her children. It has become a narrative on my life, thoughts, hopes and fears. Spirituality is also a developing theme as I look for peace, tranquillity and contentment in an often overloaded ever demanding world. My paintings visually translate how I would like to be, and as a reminder of the calm that can be found within