RE_woke

Acrylic on Plywood

120 x 852cm

RE_woke belongs to the RE_iterate series, a large group of expanded landscape paintings shaped by my daily encounters with Brisbane’s Toohey Forest. Situated only minutes from the CBD, and even closer to where I live, Toohey Forest is a remnant of native bushland, embedded within the urban environment. Visiting there on a daily basis has become an important part of both my creative practice and my understanding of place. 

Across the RE_iterate series, language and image are brought together in a poetic dialogue, one that moves between observation and interpretation. The use of the prefix “RE” in each of the diptych works in this series suggests ideas of return, repair and renewal.
In RE_woke, I have depicted the forest at sunrise on a misty morning, when shifting light and atmosphere temporarily transform the familiar landscape into something both intimate and immersive. In the context of the painted description of the landscape, the word ‘RE_woke’ takes on multiple meanings, referencing the time of day, awakening, attentiveness, and environmental awareness. The painted landscape offers a sensory encounter with the forest, while the text panel introduces a more conceptual mode of reading. Together, the two parts explore the relationship between perception and interpretation, and how language can shape our understanding of place.

For me, Toohey Forest represents both refuge and reminder: a place of beauty and ecological significance, but also one increasingly vulnerable to urban pressure.