PAINTING WITH NATURE’S PALETTE

Nestled under the floorboards are dusty jars of butterfly wings, abandoned bird’s nests and the shells of Christmas beetles past. Among these collections, Joolie Gibbs is completely in her element. This is her art studio which she shares with the mud hornets and geckos. The gumnuts, twigs and seedpods are not only her art inspiration but may form part of her finished piece in one way or another. An accomplished artist, Joolie’s stunning work is created from layer upon layer of handmade inks poured and painted onto huge sheets of paper, some reaching nine meters long. Other pieces are made of stitched threads embellished with old clay buttons and seeds, encaustic bees wax papers burnished to shine and natural fibres collected from swamps and native bushland that surround her.

As an enthusiastic hiker and wildlife forager she gathers reeds and leaves to reduce to a pulp or liquid concentrate from which she then creates paper and inks. She experiments with di erent plants - Agave, Mistletoe, Ironbark, Eucalyptus, Pecan and Gympie Messmate - mixing them with iron water, citric acid, copper and other natural substances to create a chemical reaction. Each ink is added to journals, pages of earthy coloured stripes record the process and the e ects of natural light and colourfastness of the natural inks. Her process is lengthy and filled with love, compassion and conservation of the environment.

Joolie is a quiet activist, an environmentalist who goes about her conservationism with gentle militance. Her beautiful paintings o en share a hint of a message for the viewer to discover amongst the subject matter, the title of the works, or perhaps the journey behind the creation that is her activism. It’s her way of saying it without actually saying it, that speaks loudly. Her current body of work entitled “If Trees Could Talk” is being created from a deep love of the coastal rainforest and treed environment of the Cooloola region. In 2023 Joolie undertook the Cooloola Great Walk with a fellow wildflower enthusiast and hiker, and for five days the two friends immersed themselves in the environment, coming out the other end exhausted and sore, disheveled and looking like part of the landscape, but with a greater appreciation for the bushland and a burning desire to protect it from destruction by development.

COVER IMAGE: Valerie McIntosh, Untitled 2024, collagraph print. Created at Gatakers Print Studio, it is one of the artist’s last works. It will form part of the Printmakers: Impressed 4 exhibition at Gatakers Artspace from 1 March – 21 April.

Fraser Coast Scene is distributed free as a marketing and engagement initiative of Fraser Coast Regional Council. It promotes Council’s programs and services by sharing stories of our arts and cultural community and their connection to Council’s spaces.

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This guide shares a taste of Council’s arts, culture and heritage program and was correct at time of printing. To keep up to date with the latest information visit our website or email ArtsCulture@frasercoast.qld.gov.au www.ourfrasercoast.com.au

ARTIST PROFILE: JOOLIE GIBBS

Joolie’s immersion into this landscape will form intricate, large scale works from handmade inks and papers will be part of a combined exhibition in 2025, funded by RADF.

It’s the process of decay that stirs Joolie and she feels comfortable knowing that her footprint on the earth will be a small one as she steps lightly amongst the environment she loves. Through the many years Joolie has been heavily involved in the art world as a commercial artist, Gallery Curator and visual artist herself, she has become aware of the lasting e ects of art on the planet, particularly acrylic paints and resins and she is comforted in her ethos that her art will one day become part of the natural landscape again, decay being a natural part of the life of her creations.

Joolie was awarded the Hervey Bay Boat Club People’s Choice Award of the 2023 Girra: Fraser Coast National Art Prize.

Fraser Coast Regional Council acknowledges to the east, the Butchulla (Badtjala) and to the west, the Kabi Kabi (Gubbi Gubbi) People, their connection to Country (land, sea and sky) and recognises the many places of cultural, spiritual, social and economic significance in the community. We pay respects to their Elders – past, present and emerging. We also acknowledge other First Nation Aboriginals and the Torres Strait Islander people, who reside in the Fraser Coast region.

www.ourfrasercoast.com.au

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Vanya- NT Live

Fri 8 Mar | 1PM

Sat 9 Mar | 7PM

Andrew Scott brings multiple characters to life in this radical new version of Anton Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya.

Ian Moss

Rivers Run Dry Tour

Fri 22 Mar | 7.30PM

The Rivers Run Dry Tour will feature songs from Rivers Run Dry and the songs you loveBow River, Tuckers Daughter, My Baby and many more.

La Forza Del DestinoMetropolitan Opera

Mon 25 Mar | 1PM

Verdi’s grand tale of illfated love, deadly vendetta and family strife - soprano sensation Lise Davidsen headlines as Leonora.

The World of Musicals in Concert

Thu 4 Apr | 7.30PM

The World of the Musicals is a show that is tailored for the entire family, so get ready to be enthralled and sing along to all your favourites.

The Australian INXS Show

Fri 5 Apr | 7.30PM

The Australian INXS Show celebrates and honours both the memory of Michael Hutchence and the band.

Robertson Brothers Variety TV Show

Sun 7 Apr | 3PM

The Robertson Brothers are thrilled to be returning with their new heart-warming and uplifting 1960’s Variety TV Show!

The Michael Jackson - HIStory Show

Sat 30 Mar | 8PM

Showtime presents this spectacular music tribute and full-scale stage production honouring the one and only King of Pop.