Seasons on the Lake
Artist Statement
The Australian Regional Arts Conference was held in Esperance in October 2000, followed by the Festival of the Wind. The exhibition Sandplain to Seashore was curated by Melissa Harpley from Perth, for the event. Seventeen artists’ work was shown and the Artist Statement relating to these works quotes:
Pink Lake is somewhere between sandplain and seashore; its edge has been my home for six years. The sparse, bleached landscape of the lake is my inspiration for this exhibition.
Unlike the sea, the surface of the lake is flat; no tide or wave disrupts this mass of water. The shallow bowl of low hills that surround the lake give enough protection to the surface to encourage a glassy mirror finish, to reflect every passing light.
Early morning mists part to give glimpses of water and hills washed with liquid gold, before the heat of day presses delete and mist is nothing.
The lake was pink when we came here to live; there was less water, stark white salt framed the unnaturally pink centre and the lake felt dead.
Wet years have filled the lake; the salty edge has disappeared under water, birds now live on the lake and it is blue. When the weather is warm and the north wind blows to ruffle the surface, the lake has just enough pink left, to turn the same colour as the lavender, that now surrounds our house.