Tara Axford - Held by the Undergrowth
Tara Axford - Held by the Undergrowth
Tara Axford, Held by the Undergrowth
Acrylic, collage, pencil, crayon on paper, 50x40cm framed
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“The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.” ~ Aristotle
Australian mixed media artist Tara Axford shares her passion for seeing the familiar in new ways and finding inspiration in the overlooked details of daily life. Since childhood, Tara has been arranging bits and pieces, excited by words and pictures. Her studies in design and photography led to several decades working as a magazine art director, which honed her aesthetic sensibility, but it was her passion for creating during spare moments - balancing family and work that deepened her connection to art.
For the last decade, nature has been her muse as she realised this inspired her the most; from the grand to the tiny, it’s all there. As she investigated how to make textures, patterns, colours and shapes and translate these into artworks - Tara found herself exploring different methods - from scraping paint across the paper to painting rapid brush strokes to carefully arranging overlapping leaves and seat pods. All ways to notice what nature has provided and how to use this inspiration to reflect what she had seen and experienced, but also a way to ‘re’ present the familiar with fresh eyes.
Guided by curiosity and a love for nature, Tara’s work distills the essence of a place into evocative artworks using paper, fibre, and mixed media. Her process is tactile and intuitive: “Pocket finds” like leaves and seed pods spark experiments with texture, pattern, and colour, while her “thinking wall” holds printed imagery that simmers into ideas. Tara resists realism, preferring to abstract and reimagine the familiar.It’s about carving out a pocket of time to be, look, and create. As these pockets stitch together, a bigger picture emerges, revealing a creative process and practice taking shape.Her artistic practice favours personal exploration over rigid rules. From rapid brushstrokes to layered collages, Tara’s art celebrates nature’s beauty while offering fresh perspectives on the world. For her, art is not about capturing reality, it’s about capturing essence.
“What the Bush Remembers” is a series of three paintings that abstract impressions gathered over years of walking through the Australian bush. Rather than represent specific places or plants, the works distil memory – filtered through colour, shape, and surface.Each piece explores the quiet patterns and forms that stay with us: the flick of a grevillea, the weight of seed pods, the rhythm of bark and leaf. These are not botanical illustrations, but reimaginings – where the natural world is felt, not named.Working intuitively, I layer texture, gesture, and paint to evoke the emotional landscape of bushland. Together, these works invite a kind of slow looking – an act of remembering what nature leaves behind.
Shipping:
Artwork is available for collection or shipping after the closing date of the exhibition, August 17th 2025.
This piece can be shipped for $35 anywhere within Australia, with an additional $5 added for each extra product purchased through our online store - select shipping option > SMALL ARTWORK AUSTRALIA WIDE FLAT RATE at the checkout.
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