Steve Tyerman

The title of my exhibition ‘Breathing Space’ refers to the revitalising effects of being out in nature or in the landscape and how important this is both to my art practice and on a personal level. I don’t necessarily need vast open spaces to feel at ease but being outdoors and away from the ‘built up’ areas definitely recharges my batteries and inspires me creatively. While I wouldn’t describe myself as being claustrophobic, I don’t like to feel hemmed in and I’m not a big fan of being in crowds, which is why my landscapes and seascapes rarely depict humans. The ultimate getaway or escape from day-to-day life is the unpopulated paradise, the empty beach or the deserted island, the remote and idyllic landscape, basically to have the whole place to yourself. My paintings reflect this escapism, they are a celebration of nature, of the Australian landscape and its fascinating flora and fauna.
I feel very at home in the Australian bush, growing up with our family home backing onto bushland. Exploring the creek systems, tramping without trails, hearing the sounds and marvelling at the critters, all this has shaped my vision of the landscape. I currently live and work in the hinterland of the Gold Coast, surrounded by natural bushland but with enough cleared land around us to satisfy my interest in gardening. The coast is equally inspiring to me, while it was not so much a part of my growing up, we did visit the beaches occasionally and it has always held a certain magic and since moving to the Gold Coast 15 years ago I’ve spent a lot of time by the water. My paintings often combine elements from both of these landscapes, I’m quite happy to use plants, flowers and birds from our own gardens or Hinterland surrounds in a coastal scene, or vice versa. All of these things are a part of my experience and in fact I feel like the amalgamation of many experiences is a truer reflection of a life lived.

I think most Aussies feel a connection to the coast, with more than 85% of us living on the edges of this island it is difficult to think of life without an ocean border. But of course, this is not particular to us, it is true of all humans, if we travel as far as we can on land, it brings us to water, and that water connects us to everything else. I think that is a part of the allure of the coast, the reason we can sit for so long and stare out to sea. While we might be lucky enough to glimpse whales between June and November, there’s the chance of spotting dolphins or turtles and there is a calming effect of the ocean’s constant movement, it’s the great vastness and the thought of what lies beyond that is mesmerizing.

‘There is something magical about being on the edge of this huge island and looking out to the vastness of the ocean and what lies beyond – and beneath. Despite the ocean’s enormous life-force and the hustle of holiday makers along its beaches, the shoreline has a strangely calming effect.’