My love of colour and storytelling came to life whilst researching images of the Rippon Lea Homestead. I stumbled upon a black and photograph of the lake and boat house.
Photograph - Johnstone & O'Shannessy & Co., 'The lake boat house - childhood's pleasure ground', 1903, State Library Victoria
I was drawn and inspired to bring this image forward into the future with colour and depict the words of Clara, from her memoirs, the Sargood's eldest daughter, she tells of the fun had with her three brothers, Freddie, Norman and Percy, in the first garden at Rippon Lea in the 1870s: "From bare paddock and surroundings under the guiding mind of Father, the garden began to grow...
I have recreated the image of the lake and boathouse bringing it to life imagining it both before and after the gardens have grown. The larger work I have to created a sense of standing amongst the actual garden, reflecting on the past and those who shaped and transformed this stunning homestead . i wanted to capture a sense of celebration of their past and the the present day
