Being in nature and exploring the countryside around her home in Tarnagulla is where artist Melanie Young gets the inspiration for her beautiful abstract creations.

Mel’s favourite medium is fabric and the colour, pattern and texture found in the material is transformed and re-imagined into the shapes, colours, patterns and sensations she experiences as she moves through the bush.

The haphazard scatter of twigs among leaf litter, the shifting pattern of sunlight shining through the trees, the morphing colours of the seasons, all of these things and more are revealed in the arrangement and layering of the fabric used to create each work.

The act of cutting and joining can be a meditative act for Mel and through improvisation, images and patterns emerge in the process of making. Glimpses of partial scenes, moments and light float in mind as she works on each unique piece.

Mel’s affinity for local bushland continues to be a strong theme in her latest body of work, while she stretches to explore ideas of visual fragmentation.

Stay in touch with Mel and keep up with her work by following and liking her on Instagram or check out her website.

While you’re in Tarnagulla take the opportunity to visit Joe Jakitsch’s incredible studio and check out the fabulous leatherwork by Maryanne Scull on display at the Tarnagulla Community Centre.