The black dam

'Sky drinks from the black dam' © M. Burton 2014
Silk cut linoleum print on Japanese Kitakata paper

A place of historical significance, but also inspiration for artists such as Clifton Pugh, Fred Williams, John Olsen, and Rick Amor, the 'black dam' in Barreenong Rd, Cottles Bridge has now filled my ink pot. I visit this place regularly to find a feather lightness of being. 

The black dam, Barreenong Rd. Cottles Bridge, Victoria

Black dam, Cottles Bridge

Rick Amor 1987

Woodcut

 

Seeds from the sea

'I see the seeds come from the sea' © M. Burton 2014

  Silk cut linoleum print 

 

I was recently immersed in the book 'The Fatal Shore' by Robert Hughes. With European settlement in Australia beginning on the high seas, it guarantees the onset of saltwater boils, scurvy and convict lashings as you turn each page. To this day, immigration to Australia proves to be a shady and complex issue. Whether people arrive as free settlers or flee from torture, we can't deny that boats have brought so many life journeys to our continent, and their stories have created the fabric of Australian society.