Dave Groom –  Marks and Gardner Artist Statement 2008
Paintings and Pastels
Marks & Gardner Gallery: May 23 – June 22nd, 2008
Back Creek to Bithongabel Show

Back Creek to Bithongabel is an exhibition that takes in the landscapes of the Beechmont plateau and Lamington National Park. Back Creek is the main creek that runs through the Beechmont plateau and Mt Bithongabel is one of the highest points out in Lamington.

They are two quite distinct landscapes - the open rolling paddocks of the plateau with an almost manicured appearance and the rugged, seemingly impenetrable wilderness of Lamington. My school days were spent roaming those paddocks and my spiritual connection is with the eucalypt forest and rainforest that surrounds me in my studio on the edge of Lamington.

I find the open rural landscape to be fascinating subject matter, as it offers big views that can be a wonderful contrast in light and texture. The Beechmont plateau is distinct in that many of the trees that sparsely dot the paddocks are remnant rainforest trees that survived the initial clearing over a hundred years ago. They are a testament to the resilience of nature and a powerful reminder of what we once had. There’s a certain peace about rolling hills too that I think comes from a romanticized view of the rural landscape. It’s hard not to look at the sun setting over rolling hills and not feel a little nostalgic.

The rugged landscape of Lamington National Park is something altogether different. There’s an energy to untouched wilderness that we can’t easily define. We are drawn to it for its purity, yet it can be daunting in its magnitude. My drawings and paintings of this landscape attempt to portray something of this purity and sometimes capture a surreal quality, something that accentuates the spiritual feel of the forest. I see nature as being something close to the truth of existence.

These two contrasting landscapes are of course one and the same. They intertwine and connect through animals and plants and flowing streams. Their contrasts come from the way we have affected them.