Breathing Rain - Libby Wakefield

BREATHING RAIN

Libby Wakefield

In my second solo show at Whitewall Art Projects, I am aiming to build upon the foundations of my previous work, exploring deeper the enigmatic beauty of the Wingecarribee River and its surrounding wetlands. As I continue to explore this landscape, my central focus shifted towards the transformative influence of two consecutive La Niña events, an atmospheric phenomenon that brought relentless rainfall and monumental flooding to our area.

In this body of work, I wanted capture the impact of these climatic events and look at duality: in particular simultaneous visual beauty and physical destructiveness. My artistic lens, rooted in the Romanticism movement, provides me a perspective on these natural events, helping me to convey subtle majesty and, at times, the overwhelming ferocity of the river and wetlands during this tumultuous period.

The Wingecarribee River and Wetlands serve as the cornerstone of this artistic exploration. The river, normally a tranquil and meandering presence, became a forceful, surging beyond its banks and engulfing the surrounding terrain during the heavy rainfall and flooding. These events, destructive on the surface, often revealed a new and interesting facet of the landscape.

The heart of my work lies in capturing the atmospheric changes that accompanied the La Niña events. The skies, filled with brooding clouds, seemed to conspire with the river, casting an ever-changing palette of light and shadow upon the landscape. The air was heavy with humidity, and the scents of wet earth and vegetation permeated the surroundings. I found these atmospheric shifts to be a source of inspiration, and I have endeavoured to translate their ethereal quality into my paintings.

While working on these paintings I was also interested in examining the idea of the river and wetlands as something that was once a constant or integral part of a landscape but has become hidden or lost within the context of our present timeframe. Elements of this environment that were once prominent or easily observable but have gradually faded into obscurity. These elements may now only be glimpsed or detected in remnants or traces, serving as echoes of another era in the landscape's history. I hope that the visual language of my paintings underscores this notion of change and the passage of time, where the past leaves behind subtle clues or vestiges that invite us to reflect on the history and evolution of a place.