Living and working as a full-time artist is the culmination of a lifetime dream for Carol Barnett.
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After supplementing her part-time painting career by working as a theatre nurse for most of her adult life, Barnett now spends her days ensconced in the picturesque surrounds of Clarendon Estate.
The opportunity to work as an on-site artist at Clarendon has allowed her to paint works that are inspired by the unique Northern Midlands wilderness.
“The thing that drew me here is that I feel at home and comfortable,” she commented.
“It’s all about the mountains, the skies, the winter landscapes and the changing of the season.”
Her latest exhibition draws on these landscapes to present a body of work that aims to inspire and enthrall.
Barnett’s exhibition at Evandale’s new Preservation gallery is a presentation of 19 landscapes and skyscapes inspired by the colonial heritage of Clarendon.
Abandoning her classical oil on canvas roots, Barnett has worked with mixed media on paper and acrylic on canvas for all of the works in the exhibition.
“The exhibition really focuses on the Nile region, going out to Ben Lomond and across to the Western Tiers,” she explained.
“The landscapes and skyscapes, but they also work in psychological spaces.
“They have a real colonial feel to them – I think that’s just seeped in through to the way the work looks because of my immersion in the environment.
There’s so much art around and so many people that are creative in Northern Tasmania, and even in Evandale it’s taking off.
- Carol Barnett
“That’s the advantage of being on-site as an artist – it grows your art practice and to be in the area you’re working with is growing my own art practice enormously.”
Barnett said the early feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, especially from locals.
“They recognise the light, they understand those moods and they really feel connected to it visually and emotionally,” she said.
“For me that means this ongoing body of work is a success, because it leaves me and it touches others.”
Barnett expressed a deep passion to bring others into her world of colonial immersion by expanding the work she does at Clarendon to incorporate other artists.
She envisions an artistic collective located in the area, whereby a community of artists can thrive and work off each other.
Works are already in the pipeline to potentially expand this network for a prospective October show at Clarendon.
“There’s so much art around and so many people that are creative in Northern Tasmania, and even in Evandale it’s taking off,” she said.
“There’s this feeling of vibrancy in the village.”
Stefan Boscia
Stefan came to The Examiner after working as a copywriter at a digital media firm in Melbourne and interning at The Conversation. He is enthusiastic about reporting on business, local government and environmental issues. When he is not chained to his work desk, Stefan enjoys getting brunch, reading Saul Bellow novels and watching Carlton games.
Stefan came to The Examiner after working as a copywriter at a digital media firm in Melbourne and interning at The Conversation. He is enthusiastic about reporting on business, local government and environmental issues. When he is not chained to his work desk, Stefan enjoys getting brunch, reading Saul Bellow novels and watching Carlton games.
