Residency & field trip: Grove of Giants, Huon Valley, Tasmania

10 -11th December, 2022

This project was possible due to Dr Jennifer Sanger and Steve Pearce, Founders of The Tree Projects.

Visiting the Grove of Giants was deeply meaningful due to my lifelong love and awe of the forest. The trip included an assisted tree climb, which was terrifying and exhilarating. Yet, paradoxically, it was also highly distressing witnessing the destructive aftermath of deforestation and learning of the plight of the remaining forest. Seeing a giant felled tree poignantly named 'Paddy's Regret ', I was most profoundly affected and felt bruised to the core. Too monstrous to fit on the logging truck, Paddy's Regret was left to burn. However, I was impressed by the team's determination and unwavering commitment to preserving the forests and making a positive impact. Their resilience and spirit were truly inspiring.

Tree climb: approximately 60 meters high

Watercolour study: unable to release my grip on the rope once at the top of the canopy, I opted to sketch from memory after the climb.

Looking up at Lathamus Keep, the world's largest Tasmanian Blue Gum.

The ecotone: forest alongside the aftermath of logging. Paddy's Regret.

Eco:tone

The Project Gallery, Queensland College of Art, South Bank Qld

6th - 17th June, 2023

Inspired by a visit to the Tasmanian wilderness, Eco:tone is a diary entry-style series of narrative paintings addressing the consequences of deforestation. Just as an ecotone represents a region of transition between two areas, the artworks explore how human life and the natural world intersect, with a spectrum from harmonious to historical and catastrophic. The paintings depict various vantage points, offering a literal and metaphorical ‘bird’s eye view’. In the face of a heavy theme, the works convey a mix of devastation and emotional buoyancy, incorporating an openness to the truth alongside the light-hearted and quirky.

The current environmental situation is bizarre and non-sensical, as are the paintings’ compositions. Repeat symbols and motifs include native Tasmanian flora and fauna juxtaposed against specific antique furniture, heirlooms, everyday items, dream symbols and pop culture references. Many of these elements hover in mid-air, bringing attention to the ongoing issue of deforestation that lacks a clear resolution.

Eco:tone offers viewers an alternate point to consider a critical environmental concern. The images resemble magic realism to evoke various responses, from contemplation, advocacy or empowerment to a call to action.

For daily updates see @anna_weston_art

For more information on the Grove of Giants, The Tree Projects and advocacy, please click here