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| Elysha Gould, Destruction Creation, 2011, cut paper stencil installation |
Elysha Gould is currently based in Toowoomba, Queensland, where she is developing her practice as an artist and balancing life as a mother and Co-Director and founder of artist-run gallery Made Creative Space. She completed a Bachelor of Visual Arts in 2008 at University of Southern Queensland, and has exhibited in group and solo shows in Toowoomba, Brisbane, Townsville, the US and New Zealand. In 2010 Gould was commissioned to create an installation for Artist's Dozen - a Brisbane City Council Creative City Initiative, and in 2011 she began setting up a regional artist exchange program between Toowoomba and the village of Sam Rit in Thailand.
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| Elysha Gould, Nuclear Power Plant, 2011, cut paper stencil |
My Japanese heritage has always played an influential role in my art practice alongside my recent experiences of domestic life as a young mother. The profound aesthetic of compositional balance and nature-inspired content within traditional Japanese art is something that I strive to achieve in my own work. Using contrasting contexts in imagery and materials, my work explores ideas of cross-cultural compositions. I incorporate visual metaphors such as carp fish and origami cranes, as references to my Japanese lineage and traditional Japanese folk art forms.
During my stay at Gunyah, I intend to explore the contrasting environments of the coastal region of Port Stephens and the inland city of Toowoomba. Water will be my point of interest as I compare this natural entity, from the man-made water features of an inland city particularly dams and constructed creeks, to the organic body of water in Port Stephens. I will also explore the differing perceptions of water between a coastal and an inland city. Within Toowoomba, water has long been a sparse commodity with the region affected by decades of droughts, until recently when too much water became a threat as torrential rain created damaging floods. It will be a nice change to appreciate this natural resource with a sense of enjoyment whilst staying at Gunyah. My explorations will culminate into a series of preliminary drawings, paintings and stencil cuts.
(Elysha Gould, July 2011)
To see more of Elysha Gould's work go to www.elyshagould.com
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| Elysha Gould, Nuclear Power Plant, 2011, cut paper stencil, detail view |
