CONTEMPORARY ART STOCKROOM Karlee Rawkins

Based in the beautiful mid-north coast of New South Wales, Rawkins has a vast and rich landscape full of luscious plant and fauna specimens to influence her practice, yet her creative mind meanders as she seeks to create her own exotic kingdom.

Building upon painted layers of patterning, scribbling, line and colour, compositions arise within an intuitive act of mark making. Patterns are derived from plants and flowers that have been used in Indian design for centuries, with noted Buddhist and Hindu sites dating back to the third century BC. It is drawing from her surrounds and by mimicking the patterning to which she is exposed, Rawkins is enabled to construct her own unique dreamt oasis. She describes her use of pattern as an aid in the creation of ambiguity within her compositions; she also directly references historical repetition from ancient religious decoration and design.

Karlee Rawkins 'Never Never River'Artist Talk February 2015 from Flinders Lane Gallery on Vimeo.

Dividing her work into various locations such as the meadow, the aviary, the forest, and the orchard, recent works have been based on edible plants as well as poultry and game birds with a particular emphasis on rare and heirloom species.

Rawkins says of her practice, 'I use animal imagery in my work as a metaphor for human emotions and experiences. The animals are distorted and flattened, often combining with pattern to create intentionally ambiguous compositions. I aim to emphasize the vulnerability and awkwardness of my subject and challenge a viewers recognition and sense of association.'

Rawkins trained at Southern Cross University and has exhibited extensively since 1994. In 2003 she was the recipient of The Brett Whiteley Travelling Scholarship and in 2005 and 2007 was a finalist in the Prometheus Art Award. In 2004 she held a 5 months residency at Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris, France and has travelled widely through North India and South East Asia. Most recently Rawkins has shown at Tweed Regional Gallery, NSW and Anthea Polson Gallery in Queensland.

CATALOGUE ESSAYS
Never Never River, by Melanie Caple 2015
The Wild Fox Garden, by Phe Luxford 2012
Dark Wood Land, by Phe Luxford 2011

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