Barbara Allen

My portraiture work aims to encapsulate an individual’s character, as well their likeness, whilst also expressing something of their story, their place and their time.

I work in watercolour paint on paper, as well as ink and print on textiles. I enjoy the translucent and flowing qualities of watercolour, allowing me to express a range of moods, from fleeting glimpse to intense depth. Ink and print on textiles both allow for expression of historical elements, not as easily captured in watercolour.

Portrait of Phyllis is a collaboration with Josephine Jacobi, an East Gippsland textile artist. Josephine creates unique textiles through immersing pure linen into Lake Tyers, where it becomes saturated and embedded with the lake’s drifting flora. The linen is finished with embroidered phases of the moon, depicting the duration of immersion. We agreed this was a perfect base for the portrait of Phyllis Andy, a local First Nations Elder.

This portrait situates Phyllis on GunaiKurnai land, where she grew up, both at and beside Bung Yarnda (Lake Tyers Aboriginal Trust). I have known Phyllis for over thirty years both professionally and personally. She is a remarkable person and a much respected Elder. I hope to have captured the very special relationship Phyllis has with the lake.