31. Madeline Gordon
Title: Shadow-bent Tree
Category: Emerging Artist
Dimensions (cm): 41h x 41w
Medium: Oil On Panel
Statement:
“My landscape of the Adelaide Park Lands is a tribute to time spent with my late sister-in-law in the rugged beauty of the park. In the South Park Lands we often had long, meandering conversations as we strolled in the sun. There, she taught my young son to sing to magpies, hide in wallaby grass, and climb fallen trees. We delighted in the flora and fauna. And as her illness progressed, she often wouldn’t leave the house at all except in a wheelchair to go there, which never failed to revive her spirits. This painting, which was done almost entirely ‘en plein air’, depicts a small, bent eucalyptus tree standing in the shadow of a much larger tree, symbolizing the fragility and resilience of life. Working on location, I was immersed in the place and witnessed the constant changes in the landscape. The movement of the leaves, change in colour, and play of light and shadow inspired me to respond by constantly scratching away, destroying, painting over, revising, searching, until the painting felt dynamic — with a life of its own. Scratches in the painting often reveal bold, vibrant colors underneath the more natural pallet, which reflects the emotional intensity of this time.Through this painting, I hope to convey the power of nature to provide solace in difficult times and for it to evoke seemingly contradictory feelings of melancholy and spring for those who view it. “
