Averill Lawler - Where Rockpools Glisten, Opossum Bay

Where Rockpools Glisten
Opossum Bay
Averill Lawler

Oil on wooden panel
30 cm diameter

Where the Land and Sea Entwine, 1- 31 March 2024
I grew up on the shores of the Derwent River where the estuary empties into Storm Bay. We
played in the sand dunes and a curious series of rockpools, with a small rocky reef only
visible when the tide is at its lowest ebb. In this place, golden rocks shine through the water
and play with the turquoise and sea greens of the river. This exhibition, Where the Land and
Sea Entwine, started with a series of small paintings of this place. The kind of places so dear
to me, are echoed along the coastline of lutruwita/Tasmania and are quite universal too.
These seascapes an exploration of places where the land and sea entwine. I have ventured
(through paint) to the places that I find myself returning to again and again.
My local beaches now are at Taroona and they have that little bit of wild about them, even
though they are in the suburbs. Here my kids and I collect shells, go rockhopping, watch the
waves roll in and explore the minutiae of the shallows. There is often seaweed washed
ashore. These nearby places are juxtaposed with those more distant, like Wineglass Bay,
with its sparkling turquoise water, white sand and the ancient presence of granite
mountains that overlook it.
My favourite wild places are also represented, The Friendly Beaches, Calvert’s Beach and
Pirates Bay with their piles of kelp, powerful water and sculptural landforms shaped by the
elements. Places where I feel the power of nature have shaped the choice of
works in this show. These works reflect our everyday interactions with place and explore
our relationship with lutruwita/Tasmania. I hope they evoke a sense of that for you too.