Hilary Peterson | Bodies of Water and Liminal Spaces

01 May - 06 June 2026

Special opening event 5.30pm Friday 01 May 2026

All welcome. Free

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"The natural world is not merely a backdrop to our lives. It is a living, breathing participant in the human story. In this collection, I work towards discovery of the intricate relationships between humanity and the ecosystems of which we are part. Through texture, colour, pattern and shape, each piece is an invitation to slow down, observe, and listen. Living on the coast I concentrate on the shifting, fluid state of the shoreline that transitions into vegetation and forests. Drawing from the organic forms of land, water, and sky, I explore the unseen rhythms and textures of the natural world. Those fleeting moments of pattern, colour and movement that exist beyond literal depiction. I translate these encounters through drawing, printing, painting, dyeing, fabric and stitch experimenting to find what feels right for me.

 

My practice is rooted in curiosity and openness, my process begins with the collection of tangible experiences and observations from nature. Recordings are made in pencil, charcoal, pastel, paint, print and photograph. I collect vegetation on a seasonal basis to dye fabric giving me an indication of the response of the landscape to varying weather conditions, fixing some of the work in time and place. Colour and texture are chosen not to imitate nature, but to capture the essence of the pulse of tides, the whisper of wind and water, the growth of trees, and the strata beneath our feet.

 

Through this work, I aim to evoke a sensory resonance that invites the viewer to slow down and notice the rhythms, rather than focusing on identification and classification. Textile pieces allow me to engage with the tactile qualities of fabric, stitch and surface in ways that echo nature’s own processes of growth, erosion, layering, and transformation. Painted work builds layers in a different way, reflecting the movement and energy of the sea and tide. Rather than portraying a specific landscape or species, I am interested in capturing the interplay of movement juxtaposed with calm and impermanence, where each piece prompts reflection.

 

The landscapes, flora, and fauna which have inspired these works, draw from moments of quiet being, on land and in water, observations of the strength in the curve of a tree, rock or ripple, and the hidden patterns in these places. I am fascinated by the subtle forces that shape our environment: the cycles of growth and decay, the rhythms of seasons, and the fragile balance that sustains life. Ultimately each piece facilitates contemplation. They are an invitation to rediscover connection. To evoke memory and to awaken the senses to the sound of the water lapping, trees rustling, birds signaling each other, and to the smell of damp decaying vegetation, salt, seaweed, crabs scuttling, and the seemingly silent movement of fish and other creatures as they go about their lives." - Hilary Peterson 2026