Portrait of Audrey is a work based on the vivid memory I have of my late grandmother; a Canberran Artist who painted the rural landscapes of Canberra and the surrounding regions.
Audrey studied Fine Art at Sydney University in the late 1940s. She became a member of The Canberra Artists Society before holding the role as President in the late 1970s. Every Wednesday members of the Artists Society would paint the rural landscape from various locations such as Mount Ainslie, Mount Taylor, Uriarra, Tharwa, Gundaroo and many more. They would set up their easels and paint on plain air. I imagine this being the time she enjoyed most allowing her creativity to thrive.
Through conversations with relatives and discovering Audrey’s lost belongings such as paintings, sketches, easels, brushes, jewellery and glasses I was able to recreate her in my imagination. Positioned on Mount Taylor, I sit as Audrey may have, immersed in the rural bush surroundings, which allowed me to consider how Canberra’s landscape has changed and expanded over the last 50 years.
In creating Portrait of Audrey I discovered a history of artists in my family that dates back to the 1800s starting with my great great grandmother Elizabeth Andrews (Ross), my Grandmother Audrey Peters (Andrews) and Mother Carole Griffiths (Peters).
Through this work, I questioned how and if creativity can be passed down through the generations of a family. I was left considering how my creative practice may have been subconsciously influenced by the artist she was.
Portrait of Audrey was featured in the Exhibition 'Around the Kitchen Table' displayed at M16 Artspace in Canberra, 2013.
