My practice is led by an inquiry—a long and complex search for an answer to the question ‘what is nature’? Intrigued by future geology my practice is particularly concerned with the inherent inclusion of trash as a descriptor of the contemporary landscape in art.

Aiming to dismantle problematic ideologies including nature's oversimplification as an entity in opposition to man, my practice aims to contend with outdated dogma by exploring ‘the post post-natural’, ideology and misrepresented sentiments of ‘wilderness’ and the ‘pristine’.

In observing the Australian landscape plastic becomes synonymous with nature—like flowers in the spring plastic is abundant and gathers wherever there is life. Trash, moves beyond ideology to stand for inclusion.

ArtConnect asked the winning artists to share with us a glimpse into their creative life to get a sense of their personal inspiration and artistic process.

What are some of the central themes you pursue in your work?

I am intrigued by visual descriptions of contemporary and future landscapes. This curiosity is driven by a fascination of ‘nature’ which is a central theme I pursue in my work.

How has your art practice developed over time?

My grandmother was a painter. As a young girl I remember my sister and I would sit and draw all day in her little apartment in Melbourne. She would encourage us to make drawings of stories she would tell. It was even then I knew I was an artist and I never stoped dreaming I was one.

What drew you to work with your medium/media of choice?

I often start with an idea which I sketch out in different configurations. Once I have a visual in mind I search for a particular organic shape in trees or rock formations which I can cast in silicone and plaster. After making a mould I take the plastic I have collected from the same landscape , melt it down and at the perfect temperature hand press it into the mould. Once the plastic has cooled I can release it from the mould. This may take some experimentation with color and repetition before an idea is fully realized.

What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced as an artist?

As many reading this know it’s exceptionally hard to be an artist and only an artist, almost always you have to juggle another or several careers on the side. It is a challenge to make time for art especially when you may not make a liveable income out of it.

What does your creative process look like?

It doesn’t take much to motivate me to create, it’s inherently present in my day-to-day life, stumbling across a collection of objects, having a vivid dream or listening to music may spark a train of thought which leads to an idea. That being said I am deeply motivated to find ways of expressing philosophical ideas through images especially in relation to ‘nature’ and future iterations of landscape and ecology.

Describe a typical day in the studio/wherever you make your work.

I spend my most productive days in bush-land looking for interesting and bizarre organic shapes like roots, rocks, shells and fungi to cast. This is where I find most of my inspiration, as well as my material—unfortunately most of the plastic I collect for sculpting is found littered amongst the landscape. Otherwise I am spending my time in the studio shredding, melting and then pressing plastic into moulds.

What are you currently working on or what's next?

I am currently working on a body of work exploring the speculative reality of an artists working on Mars exploring the textures of Earth from memory.

See more of Chrystal Rimmer’s work

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