This month I had the opportunity to spend ten days as Artist in Residence at Woodleigh School, Mornington Peninsula on Boon Wurrung/Bunurong Country, Victoria. It was an extraordinary insight into an inspiring learning environment, thanks particularly to Emma Cleine and Sophie Perez whose vision and energy brought the Threads of Belonging initiative to life.

During my time at Woodleigh, the Dame Elisabeth Murdoch Gallery transformed into a printmaking studio and I made progress on my own watercolour monotypes, finding marks and colours to convey my recent experiences and memories of an especially powerful, vulnerable and ever-changing environment, the Antarctic Peninsula.

Student groups from both the junior and senior campuses visited the studio to chat about my work. I enjoyed joining the senior Visual Arts students for a day trip to Melbourne, and being able to introduce them to Flinders Lane Gallery, where work made during the residency will be exhibited later in the year. I spent time with Visual Art students, as well as Outdoor Education and Environment Studies students, talking about the importance of place in my work. Students were then invited to reflect on a place that was important to them through a watercolour monotype printmaking workshop and I appreciated their willingness to dive in and embrace the possibilities of a new medium. It was wonderful to have some of the students’ prints on display during my public artist talk as we celebrated the final evening of the residency with the community.