In her latest exhibition painter Lori Pensini conveys the beauty and life force of Australian nature and its intrinsic symbiosis with humans.
Harvest, currently on show at Gallows Gallery, Mosman Park, is a collection of vibrant works by the multi-award winning artist that effectively celebrate fecundity and abundance, and how this is inextricably linked to us and the way we use the land.
Women, with their inherently deep connection to Mother Earth, feature heavily in this colourful show.
It acknowledges the efforts of humans to make the land fertile, producing and living from it, but also speaks to how deep and immediate are the connections, be they for better or worse.
Gallows comes alive with Lori’s vibrant signature pieces: some abstract, others flora and fauna realism, with gently mystical creations celebrating the spirit and determination of land and people.
‘‘Harvest’ is symbolic of bounty, health and abundance,” she says.
“It quietly celebrates the sturdy hands of family, steadfast and dependable in their tending, and it honours the deft touch of friends enriching my fertility with light and warmth.
“It is a community harvest of inner values, the seeds of strengths, my internal ripening.”
Renowned sculptor and WA Living Treasure, Nalda Searles opened the exhibition.
Nalda spoke fondly and philosophically of Lori and her highly creative and engaging approach to subject matter and form.
Both women draw on the unique Australian environment as inspiration for their creations.
“To harvest is to gather in, reap and collect,” say the exhibition notes.
“The mental soil is an immensely fertile ground, our thoughts seeds of potential power. Their yield or outcome is not easily predictable; they often may not sprout or grow immediately.
“Some are bedded in attentive consideration and others somewhat haphazardly cast, lying fallow and long forgotten for many years.
“It takes patience and time to cultivate our possibilities and harvest the fullness of our being. Lifetimes of sowing and reaping. No harvest ever comes in the moment the seed is planted.”
Harvest runs until Sunday, November 20 at Gallows Gallery, 53 Glyde Street, Mosman Park.
