Poet and visual artist, Anna Murchison, will be participating in the 2025 Blackwood River Arts Trail from her home studio at Mayanup, just outside Boyup Brook, where she looks forward to welcoming visitors for a cuppa and a chat. “Our farm is situated on Boyup Brook-Cranbrook Road, a popular tourist route. It’s a nice place to stop and take a break from driving.”
Were you born and bred in W.A?
No, I was born and grew up in Tasmania. People tend to think of Tasmania as a slice of paradise, but as a child I remember having a big, mythologised view of WA – it seemed so exotic a place and I couldn’t imagine how people could survive the heat! Now here I am, living my best life in the ‘wild west’ – though my best life does involve sitting under a fan on 40-degree days.
How do you go about making art?
My work is entirely of the moment – that is, it may take several weeks to complete a work, but I will only go to the studio when I am fully present and ready to harness my creativity. I do not preconceive any aspect of what I’m doing; I allow the moment to entirely govern the process.
Who do you admire artistically?
I’m a big fan of the American figurative painter, Katherine Bradford – in fact, in my next life I plan to be Katherine Bradford. She just seems to be having too much fun into her 80s, and the strength and humanity of her work tells me a lot about who she is. I like that she came on late, certainly in terms of public recognition, that she kept true to her mission, that she just kept going.
What’s next for you and painting?
Even if I don’t get to be Katherine Bradford, I would love to play with large scale works and figuration of the abstract type she does so well. I also need to address a primary obsession involving Icelandic churches.
What does the world need more of?
Humility. Comfort with not knowing. Presence.
And less of?
Bad news and billionaires.
What are you communicating through your art?
I might not be so much saying something as being something through art – the communication is around ‘beingness’. I don’t want to intellectualise every brushstroke; I don’t want to declare anything. That might be very un-art school of me, but I didn’t go to art school so I’m off the hook. That said, I do choose to paint in the abstract, which is of itself an intellectual exercise for both painter and patron. But I like the openness afforded by abstraction – there’s plenty of breathing space within my work to allow people to experience it in whatever ways they find useful. If I’m saying anything, it might just be “hello”.
What does participating in the Blackwood River Arts Trail mean for you?
I was approached to get involved last year when my partner and I were new to the Boyup Brook area. Since moving to the country, I’ve become acutely aware of the fact that participation is what keeps regional areas alive. That’s been a big factor in my decision to continue my involvement with the Arts Trail in 2025. The promotional side of things is a lovely bonus, but community is definitely front-of-mind.
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