We acknowledge the Gadigal of the Eora Nation, the traditional custodians of the Country on which the Art Gallery of NSW stands.

Julianne Ross Allcorn I listen and they tell me the bush news

watercolour and pencil on board

61 x 45.5 cm

Julianne Ross Allcorn’s paintings are mostly inspired by the flora and fauna of the Lower Hunter region in New South Wales.

‘I have always wanted to paint a self-portrait, but it has been a long time eventuating as portraiture does not come naturally to me. As artists we put our work out there and are open to all criticism, but to paint a self-portrait is far more confronting… it takes time to face this challenge,’ says Allcorn, who was born in Papua New Guinea in 1960 and arrived in Sydney in 1970.

‘Sitting on the verandah in the Burralong Valley one Sunday morning, I decided to paint myself immersed in the bush I feel so connected to. I wanted to be wrapped in the colours and sounds of nature.

‘Working in watercolour and pencil on wooden panels is my preferred medium. I am constantly inspired by the way German expressionist painter Gabriele Münter used colour. If the viewer can be taken into my world through my artwork, then they will hear and see what I feel.’

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