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Throughout last year, illustrator and designer Edith Rewa took brief sojourns around Alice Springs, Uluru, Kings Canyon, the Adelaide Botanic Gardens, as well as the mid wildflower belt and Pilbara in Western Australia. ‘Camping in bush heritage and private wildflower reserves was a chance to appreciate precious envelopes of preserved flora in a state pockmarked with large-scale mining and agricultural projects,’ she explained.
In Alice, Edith encountered a rare hailstorm event that completely stripped many perky stems of flowers, and then in WA witnessed one of the best wildflower seasons in many years. ‘I realised just how precious it was to see a trail of Sturt peas in a dried up creek bed in Cape Range, or the almost heart shaped, glaucous foliage of a Eucalyptus orbifolia scattered on the brown earth in a post-storm pattern,’ Edith recalls. ‘These plants survive on the weather’s whim, developing extraordinary coping methods to living in a harsh environment. I felt lucky to be able to capture a little snippet of them on my page and share them with you all in a little silk scarf museum.’
For her new nine-piece collection of scarves ‘Field Trip’, the artist has built a sense of movement into her illustration style, in response to the transient nature of her subject matter. The arid tones of rural Australian landscapes have also encouraged a more colourful, yet earthily grounded palette.
Edith has been diligently developing her observational drawing and plant knowledge since releasing her first scarfe collection, ‘Fossick’, in 2015, and hopes that this carries though to a more sophisticated aesthetic and portrayal of the plant species. Nevertheless, drawing on the road has forced the artist to be more open and inventive with her process. Paint and markers have been playfully employed to convey Edith’s joy and fascination for exploring the natural landscapes.
Moving from Sydney to Blackheath in the New South Wales Blue Mountains a year-and-a-half ago has ushered in a period of discovery for Edith, and encouraged her to be more productive. ‘Moving up here co-incided with becoming a full-time freelancer, and I have enjoyed having a more flexible schedule that allows for a healthier life balance,’ tells Edith. ‘I like to know I can start the morning with a bush walk, and stay up till the wee hours of the morning if need be!’
The Field Trip collection has sparked Edith Rewa’s migration into small editions of clothing, which will be produced in Sydney, as well as limited edition art prints that will be released to support the collection. To stay up-to-date with her work, shop the range, and for more information visit Edith’s website, here.
The artist will also be exhibiting at Hat Hill Gallery in May, before participating a the group exhibition Melbourne, ‘Bloomin’ Beauty,‘ in August.
