Averill Lawler

Averill grew up on the shores of the Derwent Estuary: the tidal zone, where rockpools glisten and molluscs cluster. Her seascapes capture the wild Tasmanian Coast with its fleeting light, passing weather fronts and southern swells. From the turquoise waters and orange lichen of the East Coast to the sandstone cliffs and wild waves of Storm Bay, her seascapes reflect the unique colours of our beautiful coast.

Averill is inspired by those unseasonable summer days where the air is full of the bite of snow and the weather front blows rapidly across the landscape. In this fleeting light, the delicate spring and summer wild flowers take on an intensity and resonance. The transience of the environment is evident around the alpine lakes, where fertile blooms flourish next to the broken bones of a previous season. Her intimate floral portraits, painted in oils, seek to capture small corners of Tasmania's alpine wilderness with the berries, the foliage, the lichen, and the flowers that thrive in this harsh climate.