Jacqueline Scotcher

About the artist

Jacqueline’s creative practice is centred on investigating landscapes, how particular environments make her feel and the significance of place-making. Experiences of moving through various natural terrains are expressed through layered abstract paintings.

Having lived in Cairns for eight years, the region has dominated the subject matter of recent work. This culminated in PhD research based on walking, painting and place in the wet tropics of Far North Queensland. Her doctorate was completed through James Cook University, where she is a lecturer in creative arts.

Jacqueline has exhibited in several solo exhibitions, including at the Tanks Arts Centre, the Cairns Regional Gallery, KickArts Contemporary Arts Cairns and in Brisbane. Many of her paintings have been acquired into private collections and her practice is featured in the current Queensland senior visual art syllabus.

Currently based in Brisbane, Jacqueline continues to work with walking/painting methods in Queensland terrain. She works as a full-time artist/educator and is passionate about producing meaningful work that highlights the significance of developing personal connections with nature and place.

Artwork

Far North Walks No. 1-4, 2019 
Acrylic on canvas 

When walking the bush tracks and stretches of beach in tropical Far North Queensland the humid air clings to skin. Undulating mountainous land allows the terrain to unfold. Movement through this environment is visceral, nature dominates, colours are saturated, and I feel alive.

This Far North Walk series draws from my layered experiences of walks around the Cairns region, where trails have weaved deep connections between self and place over time.

"My painting process shifted when living in the tropics; the act of slowing down and connecting with nature’s rhythms made me become more aware of my bodily presence. This experience meandered into the studio, as I layered paint and reimagined my pathways through the landscape. As I paint, my memories shift from up close viewpoints of rock surfaces or leaf shapes, to impressions of distant ridgelines or spans of Coral Sea. The heavy air adds weight to paint and deep green flora is ever-present".

The combination of pedestrian pace and tropical nature harboured a deep respect for the Far North and provided the antidote to an increasingly fast-paced digitally-mediated lifestyle. By attending to my movement through this particular landscape, my mind wanders and a sense of clarity prevails.

Located at Level 8