“I hope that through my work I can share a sense of our connectedness to one another, to the earth and the places of our past.” Chantal de Kock

Apr 11

Written By GoLive

The outstanding Gippsland-based Chantal de Kock will be one of the amazing artists in Tyger’s upcoming group show, *Living in Another World*.

Tyger is thrilled to welcome the superb Gippsland-based artist Chantal de Kock for our upcoming abstract landscapes show, Living in Another World.

The show brings together around 40 artists from all over the country to show us the world we know and love through an abstracted lens.

Living in Another World runs from 19-28 April at Tyger Gallery in Yass. The online catalogue for the show will go out to subscribers soon. Sign up here now to make sure you don’t miss out on your favourite works.

Chantal’s stunning work in the show is All is Well, a 30x30cm piece created from earth pigments,acrylic and mixed media on timber board. It’s an absolute beauty.

Ahead of the show opening, Chantal told us about creating works that are of the landscape and from the landscape, why finding a connection to nature is fundamental to a good life, and how art can heal.

How would you describe your work?

“My work is of a semi abstract nature where I use loose and gestural brushstrokes to evoke a feeling of the bush and landscapes that I call home.”

“I love using colour and texture in my work to build up layers as I tell the story of the Australian Landscape. I often use natural ochres and pigments that are native to the places that hold deep meaning for me. I hope that by being truly authentic the work will reflect the life of the artist behind it too. By using elements of the earth in my work it connects the art in a physical and emotional way to the place that it is from.”

“I have developed my art in an expressive and gestural style where I let each piece lead the direction of the work, I start each piece with play and joy and believe that this helps the work feel alive and free.”

“By working from memory and using elements of the earth in the form of earth pigments this leads to an organic and expressive style of creating. This means the works are often rich in detail and allow the viewer to be engrossed in the work and slow down to allow time to reflect and absorb the work in the same way we do when we are in nature.”

Tell us about where and how you create your work?

“I am so very blessed to have a wonderful home studio to create in. During Covid in the year of 2020 we bought an old General Store and cottage set on one acre in a beautiful part of Gippsland in an area we have called home for the past 15 years. This brought with it a lot of blood, sweat and tears but the end results are amazing. The old general store has a fabulous old Grainstore attached to the back of the building which is where I work and overlook the beautiful hills of this region. It is filled with a rich rural history with its exposed beams and lovely old timber floors, it truly is a beautiful place to create in.”

“We are fortunate to have bushland on our doorstep where bush reserves, creeks, waterfalls and our beautiful fauna and flora flourish. Allowing myself the space I need in my life to have quiet time and absorb the space between things both in nature and in my studio allows me to slow down and listen to my soul when it speaks.”

What inspires you?

“I am interested in the way that we live on the earth and care about this is in the way I live and make my art. The elements of the earth in the rocks and pigments I use in my work inspire me with their vibrant colour and when I am able to collect these and then use them in my studio it brings me a great sense of joy and connection to our planet.”

“I feel strongly that to create great art my life also needs to have great balance. By being immersed in the beauty of nature, spending time with my loved ones in beautiful places and creating from an abundance mindset being generous with both myself and my art making inspires me. The National Parks and coastal regions along the eastern parts of Australia and the outback regions of central Queensland and the Northern Territory where I spent much of my teen years is also a constant source of inspiration.”

What do you hope people feel when they see your work?

“I hope that when people look at my work they are able to reflect on how beautiful the earth that we call home really is and that they can take the time to slow down and allow the joy of the art to speak to them. I hope that through my work they can find a way to connect themselves back to the earth too. By using loose gestural marks I hope to convey this sense of letting go of control and allowing ourselves to be within the cycles and systems of nature. I hope my audience can find that sense of connection to nature that I feel is necessary to us living our best lives.”

Anything else you want to tell us?

“I think it's important to share a bit of ourselves when we create and I hope that I can do this in each of my pieces. Some pieces are obviously more emotional than others depending on where I am at in my creative and emotional journey on any given day.”

“I lost my younger brother in an accident when I was nineteen years old. The trauma of this has obviously affected me immensely. I had never attended a funeral before his, so when he was lowered into the earth I found that very confronting. Since finding a connection with the earth by using elements of the ochres and pigments in my work this, along with allowing myself time in nature to heal, has been a huge part of my healing journey.”

“I hope that through my work I can share that sense of our connectedness to one another, to the earth and the places of our past. I believe we are of nature and should work and live in harmony with it as best we can. When we can appreciate life and the beauty of even the smallest moments is where true living lies.”