Rediscovering the Unseen Through Art

“Into the Wood” is one of those pieces that grew with me.

Painted in 2019, this 76×61 cm work (acrylic, ink, and oil stick on canvas) came to life after a transformative experience in the micro and macro cosmos’ mystery, Riversleigh World Heritage Area—Australia’s most iconic fossil site. I created this piece for the Riversleigh Group Exhibition held at Mount Isa Regional Art Gallery, alongside local artists Rowena Paine-Murphy and Michele Savoye. Yet for me, it was more than an artwork—it was a meditation on time, life, and what lies beneath.

Why Riversleigh?

Riversleigh captivated me with its layered existence. It’s a site rich in Oligocene and Miocene-era fossils—ancient mammals, birds, and reptiles—preserved not in crushed rock, but in soft freshwater limestone. This rare condition allowed for fossils to remain intact in their three-dimensional form. Isn’t it incredible? That such a delicate preservation can whisper stories across millions of years.

As I walked through this ancient terrain, I began to reflect not just on the visible landscape (the macrocosm) but also on what I couldn’t see (the microcosm). What lies under our feet? What are we missing simply because it’s too small, too hidden, or too quiet?

The Painting: Where Nature and Memory Merge

From afar, Into the Wood appears like a tranquil jungle, its green surface inviting and alive. But a closer look reveals something else: a microscopically-rendered wood form drawn in blue. This ghostly imprint, almost fossil-like, is quietly swallowed by the green—just like how time swallows memory, and nature reclaims everything. Micro and macro cosmos is one.

I chose earthy greens and subtle blues to evoke the harmony between what’s seen and unseen. The green represents the jungle I walked through, and the blue evokes the fossilized echoes hidden within. The contrast is gentle but intentional.

In this work, I asked myself:

“Do I survive harsh conditions because I am resilient by nature, or has resilience been shaped in me by the hardships themselves?”

That tension—between identity and environment, resilience and erosion—rests in every brushstroke.

A Deeper Reflection on Connection

“Into the Wood” was my way of connecting dots between the tangible and the ethereal. The more I studied Riversleigh, the more I was drawn into the poetic silence of ancient life. These fossils were once living beings, part of an ecosystem, now fossilized not just in stone but in time.

This idea—that we are part of a grand, continuous loop of transformation—continues to haunt and inspire me. Nothing in nature exists in isolation. We are all deeply entangled, even when we feel separate. This is the message I wanted to carry through the composition.

In the same exhibition, ceramic works explored the microscopic structures of seed fossils, mirroring the central textures of my painting. This dialogue between the ceramic forms and my own recurring figures created a shared visual language—one that raised quiet questions about the life force stored within a seed, and its deep resonance with the human condition. Through this interplay, I found myself contemplating not just survival, but the persistence of memory, regeneration, and the unseen threads that bind all living things.

Revisiting the Work Today

Many pieces from the Riversleigh exhibition have since found their homes. Yet this one remained with me. It stayed not just in my studio, but in my consciousness—like an unopened letter waiting to be read again. So here I am, sharing it once more, because its message still feels urgent:

Our relationship with nature isn’t just visual—it’s spiritual, emotional, and existential.

I believe we return to nature to remember who we are. To feel whole again.

To re-root ourselves in something older and wiser than language.

📍 Exhibition Details

Title: Riversleigh – Group Exhibition

Venue: Mount Isa Regional Art Gallery

Dates: 6 September – 20 October 2019

Artists: Rowena Paine-Murphy, Michele Savoye, Ozlem Yeni