Linda Joy's paintings do not evoke loneliness or silence but a serenity found only through solitude. Her deliberate omission of humans gives the impression that the viewer (and perhaps the artist) are invisible, yet enhances the suggestion of nature's indefinable quality of inner power. These are not, however, romantic depictions. Scenes of an approaching dust storm or fire, the intense glare of the midday sun, suggest nature is not always your friend, nor even your foe, but an omnipresence devoid of emotion. Yet, here lies the dichotomy; we admire what does not admire back. Linda’s use of apricot honey and magenta contrast sharply with the black outline of burnt trees and pandanus. A sandstone outcrop rises from the floodplain. As Linda states, ‘currently I am exploring a contrasting colour palette to accentuate the variety and surreal nature of our Northern Territory landscape. I want to honour the inherent ancientness of our wild, open spaces’.
Frank Hodgkinson wrote in his iconic art journal Kakadu and the Arnhem Landers: ‘In flood, the plains are simplified as a town is under snow. Out here one can understand the pantheist belief in the unity of nature. It is a mass, as whole.’
On My Horizon celebrates our extraordinary landscape. It seeks to decipher the invisible scripture that runs through its open spaces, its sandstone massifs and its watercourses. With enormous success Linda captures nature's energy and authority while quietly suggesting that sometimes we should all be still.

The exhibition runs from 11 February - 5 March
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