Sara Freeman | Paintings from a wild summer in egg tempera & beeswax

Canberra artist Sara Freeman will open her solo exhibition on 23 May.

The making of this exhibition entitled ‘No such thing as solid ground’ has been a healing experience for Sara. A way of processing the events of the past 6 months. For many of us, the chaos of the pandemic compounded the anxiety of a Summer of fires. These events further exacerbated the trauma Freeman was already suffering following the death of her father in October last year.

‘My father was a painter and as a child I used to sleep with the smell of turpentine wafting through the house knowing he was working away on big canvases late in the night. The three big bushfire paintings in the show are a homage to his glorious landscapes with big rolling skies, as well as my need to cleanse and distil the horrifying visions of flames engulfing the places that I love.’ Sara Freeman

In a time of mass upheaval, the practice of Zen has been more important than ever for Sara. The acceptance of the reality of now no matter how uncomfortable it is can be transformative and energising.

‘Painting is my practice in action – preparing the panels with layer after layer of wax, then chance-like layering of many coloured washes, followed by a meditation of sitting quietly marking the surface, attending to its entirety. And the surprise of how those layers and moments of time finally come together in this silver threaded tracing of the timeless.’ - Sara Freeman

Sara’s use of and connection to colour within this body of work is powerful. The bushfire inspired works are emotive and raw. They conjure scenes many of us are familiar with and disturbed by but there is a serenity, brought forward by Sara’s meditative carved patterns. The time taken, and attention given is obvious and brings a quietness to the works.

It was only when the rain finally came that Sara was able to contemplate the blue works. The world greening again, ’the nervous system calming, watching skies clear, plants and animals flourish, and pollution levels drop. And despite the suffering the pandemic is causing, the slowing down, unravelling and coming home is a blessing. A time to come to terms with many things as the frenzy of humanity slows to a more peaceful pace’.

The exhibition opens on Saturday 23 March 2020. Sara will be in the gallery between 1 & 4 pm to chat and answer your questions about her process and inspiration. Social distancing will be observed and as such there will be no drinks or nibbles.

All works will also be available via our website from Friday 22 May.

The exhibition will run until Sunday 28 June 2020.

We will be open 10am to 4pm Saturday 23 & Sunday 24 May.