Hammond enjoys the unpredictable challenges of working outdoors, using the pressures of changing weather and limited time to inform the work, providing something tangible to push against. Using bulrush reeds that he gathers from riverbanks, Hammond responds directly to the natural environment, seeking a balance between simplicity and complexity, freedom and precision.
The exhibition features a series of drawings of bulldozed orchards which dot the landscape like fallen monuments – silent reminders of an industry in crisis. The artist felt a natural affinity with these melancholic mounds and has gradually come to hear the stories of orchardists who have been on the land for 40 years, having to destroy their crops while the country imports the same fruit.
Bathurst Regional Art Gallery
12 July to 25 August, 2013
NSW
A Clearing off Mt Lofty Road, 2012, brush and bulrush reed, watercolour and ink on paper, 60 x 80cm
Private collection