The work: Carmen Jackson, Muddy Banks, 2020. Oil on duck canvas, 91 x 122cm. $8,600. Courtesy: the artist
“Amid the Dreaming, an inquisitive platypus called Boondabarra lived by himself,” tells artist Carmen Jackson. “He lived in a dark burrow on the muddy banks of the Wyong River on the Central Coast in New South Wales.” He was a very clever and dignified platypus, whose best friend was an Australian Magpie called Kevin, or Kev to his friends. Jackson loves to emulate the wonderfully strange nature of the Australian environment, approaching its many inhabitants and unique landscapes with sense of whimsy and humour. In this work, Boondabarra finds himself surrounded by his many neighbours, who often join him in festivities despite his solitary nature. The joy and delight the artist takes in representing these characters is apparent, each delineated in sonorous colours against the deep red of the Australian soil. Jackson has a distinct approach to paint application, with her subjects rendered in long passages of thick oil paint, each moving seamlessly against the other. This method animates Boondabarra, who seems to emerge before our eyes from the living rock. “Painting is a delight for my soul,” says Jackson, and this emotive approach to her practice is made clear in his jubilant, celebrative work.