For geological info about this place click on the link: Dixons Reef
Tina and Pat have been long term collaborators in printmaking, past members of Inka Gallery at Salamanca Arts Centre, and long-term members of the Hunter Island Press printmakers cooperative. In May 2023 Tina and Pat joined forces to trial a community exploration of the geology and fossils in our local area and particularly along the shores of the River Derwent, south of Hobart.
Armed with a variety of maps, books and local knowledge resources, we had a rehearsal at Dixons Reef before we invited interested locals to join us.
During the first year we met about every month at a different prearranged location at 10am. Pat gave a geological overview pointing out what is significant about the particular site and the context within tectonic shifts, and we would have a bit of a fossick and see what we could uncover. After about 45 minutes Tina would lead and we would have a quick chat about some aspect of drawing and mark-making. We covered framing your view, choosing your horizon line, drawing with ink and found sticks, willow charcoal and erasers and examples of artists work that might be inspiring*.
We then did some quick sketches to warm up before settling into doing some longer sketches. People were encouraged to try different approaches and mediums with their sketching but there was no pressure to do so if they were not excited by the idea. Some people preferred to write poetry.
One of the things we noticed is how settled people were after our “rock talks”. It is as if the the talk of ages and millions of years expands our minds into new ways of seeing the world and then we can be very much in the present – in the moment – as we observe and draw.
The photos and sketches here are from Tina and Pat’s first foray at Dixons Reef in May 2023.
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