Majura Women’s Group Mosaic Workshop, Artist-In-Residence, 2008-9. After introducing mosaic techniques through making decorative tiles, a core group of about 10 hard-working women (often with children to watch at the same time) created a collaborative design and then laboriously cut and glued a 3.2m x 1.2m dynamic wall mosaic titled Heartland. Throbbing with colour and a love for the environment of Canberra, there is the yellow of sun and fire, the aqua of water and air, the browns and purples of earth and night. The geometry of Griffin and Mahoney’s avenues and of the plan of Parliament House introduce a human order amidst the rich autumn colours, the vibrant blues of the Canberra bluebell and the subtle patterns of bogong moths. A symbolic mythic animal shape, coincidentally a ‘griffin’, guards the glistening heart of Canberra. The eyes represent all of us, our children, bearing witness to how we care for the natural but fragile beauties of Canberra. This mosaic resides in the Kippax Library.
Materials: tiles, glues, grouts, plates, glass, fibre-cement backboard.
