Jane Richens: upcoming artist-in-residence

Jane Richens and with Cassie Doyle, standing in front of Jane's billboard work at the 

'Ephemeral Traces' exhibition 2016, UQ Art Museum, Brisbane.

Jane Richens is a visual artist who creates sculptural works of ‘Botanical Fictions’ – visual responses to forest ecosystems – plant forms made from felt, wire and timber. Working from her rainforested studio and home in Tabbil Forest, at the foothills of the Barrington Tops Wilderness Area, Jane is also involved in conserving the forest's biodiversity and is the chair of the Paterson Allyn Williams Science Hub, which organises science based community engagement programs.

Jane Richens speaking to a local gardening group visiting her Tabbil Forest rainforest home.

Originally from Queensland, Jane was very active in the 1980s Brisbane artist-run scene and arts advocacy movements. This was recognised by her representation in a major 2016 historical exhibition at the University of Queensland Art Museum ‘Ephemeral traces: Brisbane's artist-run scene in the 1980s’. Jane's early work was print based, portraits in domestic and urban environments using photography and photocopy technologies that were reworked with drawings and painting then recopied with some ending up at billboard size. Jane has studied at Queensland College of Arts and the Power Institute of Fine Arts University of Sydney. She has exhibited in That Contemporary Art Space Brisbane; First Draft Sydney; Dungog by Design; Back to Back Gallery Newcastle; Milburn + Arte Brisbane; Ivan Dougherty Gallery Sydney; Artspace at Pier4/5 Wharf Sydney; Institute of Modern Art Brisbane, and UQ Art Museum Brisbane.

Jane Richens, Botanical fictions: dead mans fingers green, 2017, handmade felt and timber

During her residency at Gunyah, Jane plans to research and observe the natural environment of the area and to create visual responses for an installation of sculptural works. This will become a development of her current ‘Botanical Fictions’ which are abstracted sculptural responses to life forms in the forest ecosystem using mostly hand made felt, wire and timber. She will also collect field recordings - such as photographs, sound recordings, drawings - particularly of the vegetation in the environment as a preliminary studies to develop future sculptural and installation works.

Jane Richens, Botanical fictions: bracket fungi, 2017, handmade felt and timber

For more information about Jane see creative-arts-safaris.com/CVJaneRichens and read the ARI Remix interview interview-jane-richens

Jane Richens, Botanical fictions: three stems with seed heads, 2017, handmade felt and timber