A series of temporal wall paintings using gouache and charcoal

These temporary wall vignettes are painted directly onto the gallery walls during the 3-5 days of installation, using gouache and charcoal. They trace fleeting impressions of ancient trees that are survivors living on the margins of once-vast forests cleared in the violent wake of colonisation. Like the trees themselves, these painting marks are impermanent; they are washed away at the end of the exhibition.

Through this temporal gesture, I celebrate moments of kinship with these precious trees and invite reflection on their ongoing struggle to survive. The lone paddock tree, no longer just an iconic image in the rural landscape, is a threatened species. Without the shelter of surrounding vegetation or the renewal of young saplings, these trees age in isolation, and their vital role as habitat corridors and refuge is steadily diminishing. Small gestures such as weeding, protecting the trees we have, and allowing wild spaces to grow, helps ensure these sentinels continue to thrive.

Roots of the Red River Gum

2024
Gouache and charcoal
Rochelle working on the temporary wall painting
variable sizes
Hopeful Disruptions Artist Residency
Wagga Wagga Art Gallery E3Studio

Confluence – riverbank roots

2022
Gouache, charcoal with wire relief by Tracy Pateman
Temporary wall painting
variable sizes
WATER: Presence + Absence
Blue Mountains City Art Gallery