Mountain Water

I have long been fascinated by why we gravitate to specific landscapes and places. Why some places have more of a magnetic pull than others, and why some landscapes can leave you with an uneasy discomfort. I’ve experienced both often; it’s an awareness that has been with me for as long as I can remember. As a child, I still recall the first time my Mum showed me a traditional Chinese Shan Shui painting. The name Shan Shui literally translates to “mountain-water-picture.” Its atmospheric mountainous layers and waterway instantly created a calm within me, a memory that is rekindled whenever I’m back in Tasmania’s remote Southwest.

Mountains and water have been an enduring feature of my work, especially since the loss of my sister and now, more recently, my beautiful and inspiring Mum. Through love and grief, I returned my thoughts to the ancient Celery Top Islands, which heralded a strength and resonance befitting of love, loss, and renewal.

A place to honour nature’s elements and forces, awaken and realign us – a place to feel the presence of nature and those we’ve lost.

Jennifer Riddle

2024

Acrylic on canvas