alex pitt ― on the island
alex pitt, tern, 2022, indian ink and gouache, framed in tasmanian oak, 34.5 x 34.5 cm
Even in the icy depths of winter, Alex cannot escape the siren song of water that surrounds Tasmania. Weekly dips in the Derwent, undersea adventures and walks along windswept beaches spark creativity. And this is stunningly on show in Alex’s exhibition, On the island.
Alex recounts vivid memories and stories with water the unifying theme. The haunting Neptune’s Necklace recalls a kayak adventure in the south-west wilderness. “As we paddled along I became mesmerised by a mass of seaweed hugging the shore,” Alex reveals. “Small balls from the plants drifted to the surface, like pearls floating on the water.” In the Indian ink wash of Kelp, Tinderbox, Alex remembers an unforgettable dive through a forest of kelp where “large plants wrapped around my body.”
Seabirds also feature. Alex attaches great significance to the natural world, and early one morning she happened upon a small flock of terns “soaring gracefully through the air on their beautiful long white wings before dive-bombing into the water.” This was a symbolic and spiritual experience which has been captured in a series of monochromatic works. “My life always seems to be around the ocean. This is what it means to be living on an island – my home in Tasmania.”
Alex Pitt’s On the Island exhibition continues until 22 August.