Materials and Production Methods

Rosalie Gascoigne and Tracey Moffat are two modern female artists making a statement in the modern world. Both make a study of human nature, albeit each focusing on different aspects of society. Naturally their chosen mediums reflect this.
Gascoigne’s artwork takes on a more personal approach through exploring the relationship between man and the natural landscape. Her artwork tells a story with the remanent of discarded material found in the countryside to be her medium. For her, these debris have “been somewhere and done something”; they hold a purpose and resonates with life. It is the turning of these unwanted materials, into works of art that express vitality; and captures the mood and sensitivity of the Australian landscape that is the essence of Gascoigne’s work. Her Earth (1999) series echoes with shades of grey, brown and ochre hues; “sunbaked yellows of the dry earth, muted yellows of dry grass and the soft pale greys that murmur quietly of the open air and cloud”. Works in these series including the 25 scallop shells are characterised to be more “austere” and customarily consecrated in wooden boxes. These art works are more abstract in nature and speak of memories sparked by elements of the natural landscape in their repetitive patterns and materials.
On a grander scale, Tracey Moffats’ artwork takes on a political stance raising issues of feminism and racism; particularly that of the liberty of black women. Her medium of expression is film, that being most appropriate as she explores the dynamics of interracial relationships between black and white people. Film then acts as a neutral medium portraying people as they are; hence Moffat’s works are a search for truth in a documental manner. That being said, Moffats’ work also possesses a more personal aspect to it. She herself is of aboriginal origin and much of what she expresses comes from personal experience as her mother was a black women domestic servant living amidst a dominant white society.

References:
art galleries:http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/gascoigne_education/http://www.roslynoxley9.com.au/artists/ youtube (no joke):http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyhFTwP7bOY (Gascoigne)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ob8At5MPPM (Moffat)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3BwyuRjDew&feature=related (Hall 1/4)