Deb K Williams

Land-shapes. Graphite, Ink on rag.     I am very interested in exploring the ways in which we respond to the richness and diversity of the natural world. Much of my work attempts to evoke the forms and textures of nature and increasingly issues of sustainability, ecology and inter-connectedness are examined.  These interconnecting drawings form part of a larger body of work, that reinterprets a personal archive of actual and imagined landscape images. They respond to the notion of being lost in the flow, of capturing a moment in time, of distilling an atmosphere of place and are a map of an imaginary but familiar world

Weaving the Kimberley   I spent ten days in the Kimberley region soaking up stories, atmospheres and colours. I saw apparitions, willy willies, fossils and the Bee-Eaters iridescent wings. I marveled at the tangled radial roots systems of the mangroves and the rich red earth. I laughed with old friends and strengthened new ones.    I then came back to Melbourne and started to paint and weave. Using the connecting roots of the mangrove as a metaphor, the warp and weft threads came to symbolize the various threads of my Kimberley experience. Using  Adobe Photoshop®  allowed me to layer these moments and in doing so, reflect upon the fluid nature of time and memory.   

Light Drawings created at J ulia Street Creative Space, Portland,  Victoria. Photographs, emulsion, pencil, varnish.     Light Drawings - J ulia Street Creative Space, Portland,  Victoria

I spent 12 days in the south west of Western Australia with an old friend. Glorious weather, stunning landscapes and camping under the stars made for a wonderful time. The plethora of interlinking mangroves that flank the coastline and Devonian rock formations at Windjana and Geiki Gorge continue to inspire me. These are the Back Street Drawings.

Our imagination connects the past to the present and the present to the future. Whilst wandering about the Testing Ground site I kept on asking myself, 'What was here before on this is old land by the river, what was here before?’ Using digital images from a range of sources I wanted to create a work that merges and blends elements of the past with an interpretation of the present. An abundance of natural light is an overwhelming feature of the Testing Ground site. Digital prints printed on semi transparent trace placed in the window of the Testing Ground exhibition space was my attempt to acknowledge that light and to reflect upon the recent architectural past of the site.  Falling Down, Building Up was acquired by Testing Ground for their collection.

I have been selected to participate in a residency over part of summer at Testing Grounds. Testing Grounds is a 2000sq m green space, behind the Arts Centre that is open to the public and supports and encourages all manner of artistic enquiry. The site is where the old YMCA built in 1925 used to be. In 1983, structural damage caused by the construction of the Roy Grounds designed Arts Centre and Concert Hall meant that the building needed to be demolished. The land was acquired by the State of Victoria as Crown Land and is reserved for arts purposes. Today the space is flanked by tall buildings and the ferociously busy City Road. An island in a sea of urbanity. I'm still finding my feet so I brought in some old work for a new setting.