In 2022 Carolynne established a small studio in her home town of Natimuk, this has given Carolynne space and motivation to pay attention to small details, respond to texture, shape, colour and form that reflects her varied work, reflective practises and aesthetic.
Carolynne draws heavily on locally sourced or handmade materials that are reconfigured and reinterpreted into new forms and objects.
“Making as a way of making sense”
A major influence was time spent living and working in the East Kimberley of WA. The experience of working directly for an Aboriginal owned and managed art centre has greatly influenced and indelibly informed Carolynne’s own practice. The impact of place, the autonomy of material use, the power of ‘making by hand’ as a form of rebellion against societal norms, shape the work developed and occasionally shown.
Since 2015, Carolynne has become particularly enamoured by the process of making handmade encaustic (wax) paint, sourced in part from her family’s own beehives… wax medium often makes its way into paintings, wall mounted sculptures and is overlayed with pigments, varnishes and resins.
The slow process from sourcing, collecting, collating, curating materials and making objects reveals the both the nature and nuances of materials used. Experimenting with different materials and forms and recreating materials into objects with resonance, motivate and challenge Carolynne’s practice. Outcomes can include small sculpture, paintings, collage, hand stitching and repurposed textiles.
Reoccurring themes in Carolynne’s work often question social inequities and challenge the conventions of power, privilege and entitlement. Constantly inspired by the Australian landscape, the local, mundane and every day, Carolynne’s love of Australian iconography/imagery, flora and fauna also inspires what she makes.
“Through the work, I find a way of making sense, of things that are troubling or complex or difficult.”
— Carolynne Hamdorf
