Australasian Animal Studies Association

Making Friends with a Wildebeeste, 84x60cm, Mixed Media on Canson Paper

ARTIST STATEMENT

My deep connection to wild animals and wild land comes through in most of my art. This image is from an exhibition of mixed media works is titled ‘Primal Connections’. This mixed media painting/collage depicts a recovery of connection with ‘wild beast’ (wildebeest).  In ‘Making Friends with a Wildebeest’, inspired by San rock art, human and wild beast experience a joyous co-operation, a sharing of fun and friendship.

I have cut the figures of person and wildebeest out of paper on which I have built up a rich ground of texturing and colour.  These have been collaged onto the white watercolour paper. This in turn has been ‘floated’ onto a textured ground of a larger sheet of paper and extra richness of ‘environment’ added by floating cut out shapes around the white rectangle bearing the main image.

I have made use of the paper that I have used as a material in cut outs, overlays, collages, to portray layers of reality rather than one fused, flat dimension. The use of blues and greys in this work suggests a spiritual dimension rather than an earthy physical reality.

THE ARTIST

An Afro-Australian, Lynne is a painter, printmaker, author and teacher. She spent ten years living in wild life parks in Namibia and Mozambique with ecologist husband Ken and two small children. The past 26 years the family have lived in Western Australia and Lynne has travelled extensively around the state painting and writing. Exhibiting since the age of 23 Lynne has had 20 solo exhibitions in 5 different countries.  She has published two books and illustrated several others.

VISIT  www.lynnetinley.com