Three Swans honours the unique coastal landscapes of the South West. Popular watercolour artist, Sue Kalab, is well known for her sensitive depiction of WA’s unique fauna, flora and landscapes. Her latest solo exhibition, Three Swans – Watercolours of the Coastlands is a poignant contemplation of nature’s inherent beauty.
With 25 previous solo exhibitions to her credit, Sue is a highly experienced artist, with a deserved reputation for intimate appreciation of WA’s natural heritage. Three Swans – Watercolours of the Coastlands, is a new collection of works on paper created over recent years, inspired by bush walks and ambles along the beach. She says, “They speak to the timelessness of the natural world, from the perspective of a woman walking this Earth.”
Sue’s detailed observations and generosity in sharing her work through exhibitions across Australia, reflect a larger commitment to honoring and protecting our wild places. Each painting is a call for individual and collective effort to safeguard species and habitats for the future. A stalwart of environmental conservation events, Sue has coordinated South West contributions to nationwide bird surveys and projects that affect birdlife in pockets of remnant nature in and around the Bunbury-Leschenault area.
The Three Swans theme was inspired by a bird count survey Sue and a friend conducted in the Leschenault Estuary during January this year. Sue has been the keeper of count records since the early 2000s. Alarmingly, there were 1448 Black Swans, significantly less than the 5000+ that regularly graced the estuary twenty years ago. The exhibition is a chance to bear witness to this rapid decline of our State’s native faunal emblem and highlight concerns for its future. Sue explains, “The Black Swans congregate each summer in the Leschenault Estuary during their moulting period, as they are unable to fly. The estuary is a vital stronghold for the species over long hot summers when regional wetlands, billabongs, creeks and rivers are increasingly dry. We must act now to ensure there is a future for this majestic creature.”
Other works in the exhibition document Sue’s years of roaming in the nearby Tuart Forest and along the shorelines of the Indian Ocean, wandering and watching – looking and learning. The paintings include orchids, birds and bush.
An artist talk and exhibition event will be held on Sunday 26th May from 1:30pm. Open to the general public, wines will be provided by 10 Chains Winery with light refreshments provided by Southern Forest Arts. Bookings are not required, but RSVP’s through Humanitix are encouraged for catering purposes: https://events.humanitix.com/three-swans