Paperbark II (detail)

Estuary is a collection of mobiles exhibited at Australian Galleries, Glenmore Road in 2009.

I have used stainless steel wire and paper treated with polyurethane resin for longevity. The ‘leaves’ are coloured with gouache on paper, retaining splashes, drips and organic fusing of colour. These mobiles take their colour from the whole landscape; earth, water, sky and living things. I have started to think of the mobiles as suspended sculptures, and have become more adventurous with their form. I have experimented with allowing for more freedom of movement and introducing a little bit of controlled chaos.

An estuary is a special place. It is where the river breathes out into the sea. This is where life begins, muddy and mysterious. It is a place of crabs, mangroves, tides and tannins; where salt and fresh waters meet. I have used colours that speak of the murky depths of water and mud and mangrove. These mobiles have sprung from my thoughts about estuaries, of dark water filled with primeval life.