The work: Carol Rowe, The Burning, 2021. Oil on polycotton canvas, 101 x 118cm. Courtesy: the artist.
As if gazing directly at a shimmering heat-haze, the work of Carol Rowe uses abstraction to depict the heart of the Australian desert. In her work The Burning, the hot, arid air is almost visible as the ground sizzles beneath the sun, with diaphanous clouds of smoke obscuring a clear view of the hardy desert flora. Though she has spent time in many remote places, including several visits to the deserts of the African continent, it is the Australian wilderness that is Rowe’s true inspiration. “I love the Australian outback”, says the artist, “it’s silent and remote places – the vast distances where you can hear the silence.” The bright red hues of the Australian sand are unmistakable in her work, blazing bright and instantly recognisable despite her reductive approach to depicting landscape. By building up many thin glazes of oil, she seeks to recreate the texture and luminosity of a desert vista. Her paint application is almost pointillistic in places, deft touches of paint giving the work a muted sense of perspective. Rowe’s work is a loving portrait of the Australian outback, depicting it in all of its dangerous beauty.