Listen to the audio description of the artwork
About the artwork
Listen to the artist statement for Alchemy #66
Living my best life: I have had an incredible life and have survived and thrived life issues.
I have had a lot of privileges and opportunities.
Being able to learn, experiment, create with plants, in my own space, in my own time is wonderful.
The combinations of leaves, bark, flowers with vinegar, copper, iron and onion skins makes for a wonderful sense of ancient and alchemy. It's not toxic like commercial dyeing and I don’t think it's possible to make the same thing twice.
Being able to then see a piece and know who I want to give it to.
This is the first time I have entered anything into an exhibition. Best life - this is good and it will give me a kick in the bum to consider selling and swapping.
The plants in this piece include Euc. regans (giant ash), Euc. obliqua (stringy bark) and Euc. globulos (blue gum).
About the artist - Fiona Strahan
I grew up in a political and feminist family.
I am the only person in my family with achondroplasia (the most common type of dwarfism).
Education, Education was the mantra for the three of us kids.
I wanted to be a scientist. a teacher or an actor. I have done the second two and eco printing throws me back into sciences and environment.
I have thousands of stories, it's what we are. I have worked with disabled people to write stories and turn them into a book. I have been a key part of the setting up Disability Voices Tasmania.