available artwork
# Sentinel
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# Holding On II
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# Red-tail Vim, Perseverance
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# Profile in the Mob II
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# Sky High
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# Lines of Flight I
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# Redhead II – Gang-gang Cockatoo
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# One Step Closer
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# Sky-high
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# The Crest Crew – Sunny
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# Cocky I
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# Red Alert – Gang-gang Cockatoo
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# Egress (Day 40)
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# Holiday House le Pigeonnier
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# Roaming Spirit
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# Walking Drawing – Across Pont Nerf, Toulouse I
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# Fountain Creature, France
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# Roo I
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# Australian Golden Whistler
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# On Guard
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# Yearning
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# Crazy Bird
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# The Crest Crew – Dazzle
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# Galah
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# Sulphur Crested Cocky
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# Montmartre, France
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# The Crest Crew – Spike
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# Holding On I
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# Roo IV
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# Eyewitness
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# Willie Wagtail
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# Roo II
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# Escape II
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# Profile in the Mob I
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# Walking Drawing – Across Pont Nerf, Toulouse II
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# Calling Home
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# Flight
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# The Heavyweight
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# ‘Who’s There?’
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# Galah II
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# The Powerhouse, Portland
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# Galah V
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# Roo III
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# Lines of Flight II
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# Roo Ranger
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Mt Wilson Lookout II
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# Gang Gang Cockatoo
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# Cocky II
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# Forgotten Pigeonnier
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# White-brown Scrubwren
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# Lines of Flight III
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# Holding On V
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# Cackle King
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# Dirty Rat – The Secret
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# Fantail
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# The Crest Crew – Flash
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# A little birdie told me
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# Cocky III
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Artist statement

Awe-inspiring’ might seem like an unusual an expression to apply to The Black Summer fires.

For me, awe-inspiring holds a range of meanings, from the breath-taking, to the terrifying, to the truly formidable. This is how I experienced the desolate, burnt landscape driving up the Bells Line of Road, two weeks after the 2019-2020 mega-fires swept through the Blue Mountains, NSW. I was aghast and knew I was witnessing a moment in history that demanded a creative response.

A year on, this initial astonishment resonated throughout my time in artist residencies at The Old School House, Mt Wilson (Dec 2020) and BigCi (Jan 2021). While on these residencies I had the opportunity to talk with local people and learn about the depth of courage and kindness that binds communities together. I also heard instances of colour and comedy that added levity to brighten difficult times.

It was during one of these conversations a volunteer firefighter mentioned that he’d ‘got pinked.’ Instantly I was struck with curiosity – what did that mean? It was an expression I heard several times – it involves being near, sprayed, or dumped-on by pink fire retardant from aerial firefighting support.

From that point on I introduced the colour pink into many of my artworks. This functioned on numerous layers within this body of work. Initially, I added this hue to entrench story into my drawings and paintings. While appreciating the work does not rely on understanding the significance of my use of colour, it has a distinct purpose in reflecting my concern about the use of pink fire-retardant to fight fires.

My intention here though is not to judge: honestly, if my home was in the fire’s path, I would want it saved too. I am more interested in encouraging thinking about the long-term consequences that fire retardants may have on people, the environment and wildlife; and whether there are other fire management strategies that could improve the impact we have.

Beneficially though, the pink hue added a dimension to my palette that accentuated the magnificent beauty I witnessed in birdlife returning to a scorched land. The absence of the sound and sight of birdlife was pervasive after the fires, and their re-emergence and birdsong expressed a joyful and restorative healing. These colourful glimpses of native birds became beacons of hope and wonder.

I am grateful for the warm welcoming into communities affected by the Black Summer fires and for the many personal accounts people generously shared with me. All of the conversations I had continue to contribute and drive my artistic research about wildfires.

Thank you.

Jody Graham
23rd November 2021

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