Mackay’s natural beauty inspires artist to paint

Driven by the colours of the outback, one artist wanted to share her travels with the world

Lyn Laver-Ahmat's work "After the rain", which was done as acrylic on canvas. Picture: Lyn Laver-Ahmat

INSPIRED by the colours of the outback, a Mackay artist will this month share her travels with the world.

Lyn Laver-Ahmat has captured the natural beauty of the Mackay region and Australia in her exhibition Light on landscape.

Her exhibition - which funs from Saturday until February 14 - features locations many Mackay residents will be familiar with.

Light on Landscape includes recent works exploring a palette of gentle colours and impressions of space and form, inspired by travels to outback Queensland and more familiar scenes closer to home.

Mackay Regional Council Mayor Greg Williamson said Laver-Ahmat was an art teacher for 20 years and taught at various schools throughout Queensland.

He said she recently taught at North Mackay State School.

Cr Williamson said Laver-Ahmat would do a free talk at the Artspace on Thursday at 6pm ahead of the exhibition opening.

"Her floor talk is not to be missed and will undoubtedly give a great insight into the creative process behind her magical landscapes," he said.

Her talk will take art-lovers through a variety of techniques and materials she used to create colour, space and texture.

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She will also discuss light and how it defines the surface of things like land, sky and water.

She has included her painting Standing Stilts at McCreadys Creek at Slade Point in her exhibition.

"The Mangrove Creek where I walk most mornings is a microcosm of wondrous plant life, waterways and little sea creatures," Laver-Ahmat said.

"The mangroves sometimes seem to hover above the water."

Laver-Ahmat said she spent a lot of time at Nindaroo this year during the lockdown while she recovered from a wrist injury.

She said she captured this scene in Nindaroo Afternoon.

"It has a lot of varying shades of green hills with cows and fences," Laver-Ahmat said.

"The scenery shows multiple perspectives that seem to distort as houses and fences appear on different levels."

Her floor talk is expected to fill up fast and bookings are essential because of social distancing requirements.

Registration for all Artspace events is available at Eventbrite.

The exhibition Lyn Laver-Ahmat: Light on landscape will open on Saturday.

 

 

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