Chelle Destefano: 2009 Bushfires

posted in: Past Exhibitions | 0

4 March 2019 to 1 April 2019

Opening: Sunday 24 March 2019 from 2 to 4 pm. All welcome.

The fires that impacted our areas in South Gippsland left me reeling and ten years on, I’m wanting to remember how it affected us all through my set of abstract paintings depicting fire and damage, the emotions and the impact on us and how we all united to support each other.

I have memories of the sight of lost homes, fire damaged regions, the active fires, the artefacts and things left behind in fires and people crying; devastated over the loss of their homes. These strong memories are painted into the abstracts through symbolic shapes and collages applied through the painting processes.

In 2006 I became concerned about global warming after an extremely hot heatwave that lasted two weeks. The experience made me want to find out more why our world is heating up so much. I did a triptych in response to this and the artwork sold immediately, it was a strong subject that resonated with many.

The 2009 Victorian fires are still very fresh in my mind and it still upsets me; the devastation. The recovery has been a long process for many victims around here in South Gippsland and many other affected parts of Victoria.

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