Artist Corinne Loxton Paints the Warrumbungles
By Jimmy Whalan for the Coonabarabran Times
Artist Corinne Loxton recently visited our Warrumbungle Mountains, capturing the beauty of the landscape in her new exhibition Into & Beyond.
Having grown up at the foot of Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa, Corinne spent her formative years noticing and responding to the mountainous landscape and its weather.
Corinne has since extended that love for mountainous landscapes to the Blue Mountains, her home for the last 10 years. Corinne has developed a beautiful, intimate relationship with the area and much of her work is inspired by the place.
“Whilst I do much of my painting in the studio from photographs and memories of my experiences, I value the opportunity to explore and interpret new places, like the Warrumbungles. For many years I have been interested in travelling to the Warrumbungles to see what it is that makes it so special and to respond in my own unique way as an artist.”
Upon arriving at Camp Blackman, Corinne threw up the tent and rushed across the open meadow to paint the iconic view of the Warrumbungles - the tors that make up the Breadknife.
“I was excited by the majesty and uniqueness of the rock formations and wanted to capture the late afternoon light and shadows as they fell across the ridges,” Ms Loxton said.
Corinne spent the next few days exploring and seeking out views of dramatic peaks, valleys and ranges; these views were the inspiration for the ‘Warrumbungle Dreaming’ paintings in her exhibition.
“I revelled in the immediacy of painting plein air – the challenge of capturing the shifting light and colour quickly and with energy and mood.”
However, painting these dramatic views soon began to frustrate Corinne, so she decided that she would start to move through the landscape with an open curiosity and attention to her surroundings.
“I began rising very early and walking for hours, listening and looking, taking photos, journaling, sketching and just being present to the experience of being there,” Ms Loxton said.
As she journeyed this way, Corinne began to feel more interested in the ‘less remarkable’ views, not places that people would necessarily recognise, but places that still evoke the beauty and wonder of the Warrumbungles; these views were the inspiration for her paintings, ‘Into & Beyond IV’ and ‘Evensong’, VII, VIII and IX.
Corinne found that the secret to capturing the Warrumbungles was to slow down and fully experience the place, letting go of the assumptions she had unwittingly carried with her about the work she would create.
“I had arrived with curiosity and openness, yet as I put my artist’s hat on and immersed myself in the environment, I realised I was pushing myself to achieve, rather than settling into the process and trusting that the landscape would speak to me.”
Looking back on her trip to the Warrumbungles, Corinne found that it was a very challenging and rewarding experience.
“Travelling to the Warrumbungles to paint was a journey both into and beyond my comfort zone,” Ms Loxton said. “The natural beauty and majesty of the place were enthralling and I have not exhausted the creative possibilities there.”
