Jo Darbyshire, Sunset, Fennel and Crow (detail), 2021, oil on canvas, 200 x 80cm (each, diptych)
OPENING // Saturday 21 August, 2-4pm
A new painting series by Jo Darbyshire depicts landscapes close to home, explored on solo meanderings during the quietude of lockdown. The evocative paintings capture the sense of stillness and the heightened perception of the beauty of nature, as well as touching on the sense of foreboding felt during that time.
‘I roamed the ‘wild areas’ of Booyeembara Park, the abandoned golf courses and the industrial area near my home in Fremantle. I became aware of wild fennel growing everywhere.
The Italians brought finocchio to Fremantle – fennel is an introduced species in Australia (like many of us). Its very ordinariness ensures its anonymity, and its survival. Traditionally it is prized for its healing properties; fennel seed oil activates the immune system and is a preventative for influenza (a perfect symbol during the pandemic). Fennel is also extraordinary because it contains all generations at once – it holds the old seeds high, while new growth springs forward.'
