The work: Lizzy Stageman, Reflections, 2022. Acrylic on canvas framed in floating Australian oak,
62 x 46cm. Courtesy: the artist.
“Have you ever taken the time to reflect on your life and look back on moments of greatness?” asks Newcastle-based artist Lizzy Stageman. “There is beauty in just about anything if you take the time to find it.” A proud descendant of the Wiradjuri Ngiyampaa and Barkindji nations, Stageman combines the timeless beauty of traditional Aboriginal symbols with a contemporary eye. In her work Reflections, part of her Marrunga Yubba (Sweet Rain) series, the artist found herself inspired by the simple memory of walking in the rain. The work tracks the journey of raindrops from sky to earth, mapping their trajectories as they fall upon the Australian landscape. The artist utilises the symbols of rain, but instead of placing dots around the entire lines of rain, she has them gently cup the drops from below as they spill from the clouds. This rain is falling on the concentric circles of a meeting place or place of rest, picked out in gold across the canvas. The whole scene seems almost magical, with the iridescent sheen of gold paint shining like refracted sunlight. Australia is known for its extremes of weather, but here Stageman has created a scene that seems peaceful, the simplicity of raindrops falling becoming a moment of greatness.