CONTEMPORARY ART STOCKROOM Melanie McCollin Walker

Drawing on a combination of memory, observation and emotional sensitivity McCollin-Walker’s evocative landscape paintings directly reference the beauty of the Tasmanian wilderness. Full of meticulous detail and a lightness of touch her fine, painterly technique provides a clear view into both the breathtaking splendour of these untamed places, as well as creating an opportunity for meditative contemplation. Atmospheric, light-filled and intricate, her images resonate with a sense of calm and inward reflection.

When speaking about the images she creates, McCollin-Walker likens them to portals to other worlds, a window to somewhere else. Uninhabited by humans, they invite us to imagine places beyond our everyday reality, to revel in the mystery of the natural world. When choosing her subjects, McCollin-Walker favours mist covered waterways and dense forests, places steeped in the reservoirs of memory and all that has gone before. Approaching her paintings as evocations of emotion, McCollin-Walker’s work does not encapsulate the traditional postcard view of glorious mountains and crystalline lakes, but the flickering glimpses caught out of the corner of our eye and the feelings left long after they pass.
Excerpt from catalogue Essay by Briony Downes, 2020

Watch: Melanie McCollin-Walker featured an ABC TV

Watch: Melanie discussing her practice for FLG

The work is inspired by the west coast of Tasmania and is a correlation of elements from the Gordon River, Cradle Mountain and Frenchmans Cap. There is something quite humbling about the grandeur and reverend solitude of this rugged terrain and the enduring grace, strength and beauty of the river, with its ancient forests and hill sides that converge around the water’s edge. I am intrigued by the delicate balance of contrasts which shape the landscape, the way in which the light dances over tree tops and mountain sides, whilst dark shadows find their home in the furthest recesses of the river. I had an instant connection to this beautiful place, it’s remote nature was ideal for self discovery and the perfect place to get lost and found in equal measure.
Artist Statement 2019

Originally hailing from Barbados, with years of living in urban centres such as London and Singapore, McCollin-Walker now lives and works in Hobart, Tasmania. She has held numerous exhibitions in Australia and internationally including at the Australian High Commission in Singapore in 2013 and the Benetton Foundation as part of the Venice Bienale in 2015 . She has been the recipient of various residencies and a finalist in numerous awards, most recently including the Bull Bay Artist Residency, Bruny Island (2017) and the Cliftons Art Prize, Singapore (2016). Her work is represented in private and public collections internationally.

COLLECTIONS
Bruce Gosper Australian High Commissioner to Singapore Private Collection;
Guacoland Project, Tanjong Pagar Singapore; Wild Honey The Pavilion Kuala Lumpur; IQ Global
Group Sydney; The Luciano Benetton Foundation’s ‘Imago Mundi’ Italy; Telunas Resorts,
Indonesia; Wild Honey, Mandarin Gallery Singapore.

Read: Interview on Southern Wild & Co

DOWNLOAD BIO / CV (PDF)