Mel
Beth Thompson
- Sitter: Melissa Stannard
- Medium: Photograph
- Dimensions: 93cm x 63cm
- Representation: This artist represents themselves
About the artwork
Melissa Stannard is a Yuwaalaray Gamilaraay, Kooma and Celtic artist, researcher and poet. She teaches at QCAD, and has a Bachelor with Honours in Contemporary Australian Indigenous Art, majoring in jewellery.
And she is an inspirational mentor to Beth Thompson. They both share common ground as Indigenous artists who value storytelling as an integral part of their heritage and practice.
“The close connection to Country is highlighted in the setting of this work with the tree branches and roots cradling the sitter and with leaves softly forming a nest around her.”
With the sitter curled into a fetal position this portrait, captured at Lake Weyba (Kabi-Kabi land), signals the power and resilience of the feminine spirit. The sombre tones of the photograph are brooding and tense but there is also defiance and strength.
Melissa Stannard’s work involves archival research, history and art therapy, and is underpinned by a deep interest in nature and the environment. Her practice involves printmaking, jewellery, sculpture, textile and installation art.
Beth Thompson says the work is “…a reminder of the deep bond between Stannard and their sacred connection to Country. It tells a story of empowerment, reclaiming our roots and embracing the beauty of our ancestry – a testament to the enduring legacy of the feminine and the unbreakable ties that bind us to our Country.”
About the artist
Beth Thompson is currently studying Contemporary Australian Indigenous Art at QCAD, Griffith University. Their multidisciplinary, expressive and experimental practice focuses on themes of identity, heritage, cultural connections, and the inclusion of natural elements. They utilise a diverse range of mixed media in their practice, including painting, drawing, printmaking, and photography. They have exhibited in many group exhibitions.
