Bush Hen Dreaming - Bush Leaves 2003

Abie Loy Kemarre's 'Bush Hen Dreaming - Bush Leaves' is a field of reddish-brown marks, flecked with tiny dots of blue. I can imagine the artist, brush in hand, carefully building up the painting's surface, dot by dot, layer upon layer. It’s a meditative process, and I wonder what Kemarre was thinking about as she made it? It seems like she found a kind of rhythm, a connection between the movement of her hand and the image that was slowly emerging. Look at how the marks vary in size and density, creating a sense of depth and movement. I feel like I could stare at this forever and never see the same thing twice. The painting is about the bush hen's dreaming, and about the leaves of the bush, but also about the physical act of painting itself – the texture of the surface, the interplay of colors, the way the light catches on the paint. Painting has always been a way for artists to talk to each other, across time and space. Kemarre continues the conversation. Her work embraces ambiguity and uncertainty, offering multiple interpretations, which I really respond to.