Second Nature. Artist statement

 

Celebrating the natural world and my own creative nature this exhibition explores the path of my practice and where it sits in my life now. It explores the ideas that art is part of an everyday creativity, shared in nature, a home and a business. Sharing a life and studio with a fellow artist is an amazing blessing and occasionally messy endeavor.

 

I am a second-generation wood carver. My father taught me to be brave. He had me turning when I was three years old and had to stand on a step to reach the lathe. My father taught me to be patient, to carve, to look at a piece of wood and work with it to see what it was to become. He taught me creativity and how to share my life well.

 

This body of work depicts moments spent with my family. Each leaf is a story or step in my life. Leaves have inspired me. I have collected leaves from walks in the rainforest with my father. I have studied leaves from my childhood home and my home that I share with Kelly. These leaves have been carved remembering the moments shared in the natural world with loved ones.

 

This exhibition is dedicated to my father Neil Scobie who created his life so well. He was an accomplished craftsperson and an amazing teacher to so many.  He spent his days continuing to learn new skills and sharing his skills around the world. The most inspiring lesson he taught was to be able to die without regret. He taught us how to fill every day with hard work, creativity, and friends.

 

My work owes me nothing; it has given me so much already. - Anna Scobie 2017