Rapt in Bark

This body of work, entitled Rapt in Bark, came into being over the years, 2005-2007. They reflect the painter’s valuing of spirituality, as well as the way in which she channeled her love of ‘messing with colour’ in ways that brought greater awareness and appreciation of an oft overlooked beauty: Simply Bark

As a complete sequence the paintings tell the story of her unfolding into retirement, including a move she had recently made to Strathalbyn from the city, further research into the fascinating aspects of personhood and her developing practice as a companion in spiritual direction.

Like the bark on trees, Di holds a sense of both that which always needs to be shed to allow for new growth, and the strength of the mystery which holds her. The fabulous patterns and colours that are visible in frequent journeys between her home in Strathalbyn and the wider world (which she is always ready to explore) are symbolic of the richness and development of her inner life.

With this, she also holds a sense of the darkness, the shadows, and the woundedness evident in both trees and lives from which we move towards the light, the contrasting patterns and the wholeness which comes of ‘knowing and being known’.

This body of work is dedicated to the memory of her parents, whose lives ended well before Di developed into fuller maturity. Her maternal grandparents were residents of and shopkeepers in Strathalbyn when Di’s mother was born in 1915. In this sense, her move to Strathalbyn and her developing artistic profile have been a coming home: home to her Mother’s birth place, home to her Self and home within a sense of Mystery

The second exhibition of this body of work includes further development in her sense of the inter-relatedness of body, mind, and spirit. In 2024, the booklet is published for her celebration of Eighty Years and Counting