I love time in my studio, but it’s such a treat to get out into the landscape that inspires me. And one of the highlights for me this year has been the Art. Nature. Science. program at Binna Burra. {If you aren’t familiar with this beautiful part of the world, Binna Burra Lodge is a nature-based tourism destination nestled amongst the World Heritage Listed Lamington National Park in southern Queensland, Australia.}

I have a life-long history and love of the place and when the historic lodge – hand-hewn slab cabins and accommodation buildings from the 1930s – were burnt to the ground in the black summer bushfires of 2019/2020, my heart was breaking for what had been lost.

Lamington National Park is the reason I pursued a career in conservation and have had a passion for photography. These seeds were planted at age 10.

So having the opportunity to come back to Binna Burra and reconnect with this special place has been a joy this year. I spent time on my first trip on the grassy hilltop of Mt Roberts where the Lodge was in my memories, coming to terms with the absence of something so crucial to so many. Since that time, I’ve been able to add so many joyful memories through the workshops and events of the Art. Nature. Science. program.

2022 was the inaugural year for the Art. Nature. Science. program and what a year it was {with more to come in 2023.} Here’s some of the gorgeous souls who volunteered to make the events and activities happen {thanks, Greg Harm for the photo}.

I ran two workshops as part of the program and shared my love of artist’s books. They are any works of art that take a book-like form and were a wonderful way to explore the experience of being in a place like Binna Burra.

Mark-making with graphite, charcoal and acrylic paints… the participants captured textures, form and feelings of being in and surrounded by nature… The roughness of the stringybark captured through frottage {rubbings}, the curving line of a twisted vine tendril drawn in graphite, and the vibrant colour of new growth in a splash of acrylic ink.

Alongside the workshops, I have been hosting a podcast for the Art. Nature. Science. program, interviewing artists and local community who have connections to the place and program.

At the end of the year, we had a big celebration!! It was the opening of the show by Renata Buziak, the artist-in-residence for the Art. Nature. Science. program. Renata works in creative photography using a process she calls ‘biochrome’ that is a fusion of photographic paper and plant material and produces beautifully colourful abstract works. A team of volunteers had written and published a book, documenting the First Year of the program. And we officially launched the Art. Nature. Science. at Binna Burra podcast.

Everyone who came to the event was welcomed by a performance by The Bloom Collective on top of Mt Roberts under the magnificent stringybark trees, where the Lodge once stood.