Collection: April Giblin

The Koonya Project

Exhibition Opening 27.12.24 at Premaydena Hill Cellar Door

As her brush traverses the paper, interpreting the sounds and colour that move through the Koonya mountain landscape, each stroke represents April’s connection to this place as she moves beyond observation into being with the mountain.
April’s art practice has encompassed working with pattern, line, colour and movement relating to a state of flow – where her abstract impressionistic forms, embrace automatism, allowing the subconscious to take control, without thought or intervention from the conscious mind.
The Koonya Project is an extension of this style and practice.  April applies the line and movement painting technique to the Koonya environment (landscapes, flora and fauna), which develops into an impressionistic style as the forms emerge with small lines painted in an array of colours experienced from the mountain.
Giblin’s energy for life can be seen in her paintings through the use of defined brush-strokes and vivid pigment choices.
Mt Koonya is located on Turrakana Country in southern Lutruwita on the Tasman Peninsula. It's a place where April Giblin grew up exploring the forest and seascapes from her family property. She annually retreats into the wet sclerophyl forest of Mt Koonya where she finds the isolation evokes her creativity.  This rugged landscape shaped Giblin's deep interest in nature which evidently touches the spectrum of her arts practice. 
With a deep reverence for the original people of this land the Pydairrerme people, April seeks to understand a sense of belonging and connection to country through immersing herself in the mountain, the land her family is responsible for.
This body of work was created on Mt Koonya in Giblin's art studio over the summer of 2023-24.  The isolated setting allows her to capture the energetic winds rushing through the elevated landscape, with it's trees and the contours of the surrounding mountains, hills and tree tops, producing visual representations of the movement and sound from the mountain. 
Each artwork is painted using high quality Japanese Holbein Works Gouache. Defining Giblin's style with finely ground pigments which increases paint opacity. Applied to Melbourne made Art Spectrum 210 GSM smooth watercolour paper.

The Koonya Project will be on exhibit at Premaydena Hill Cellar Door from 27.12.24__28.01.25

Showing 7 days 11am to 4 pm

Full Artwork Catalogue available 11am December 27