After the Flowering Gum with Clouds and Birds of Good Fortune - Gus Clutterbuck

After the Flowering Gum with Clouds and Birds of Good Fortune by SA artist Gus Clutterbuck - Finalist in the 2024 Heysen Prize for Landscape.

This work springs from my deep respect for nature and representations of the natural world in historic Ming dynasty porcelains. It is also inspired by serene days spent sketching landscapes at The Cedars and appreciating the legacy of Hans Heysen. The curly porcelain branch is modelled from close observation of gum tree sticks and inspired by the ‘arboreal motifs’ of flowering trees and gnarly branches depicted on historic Chinese porcelains. Hans and Nora Heysen were also great admirers and collectors of Chinese Art and Nora often used Chinese vases and textiles to enrich her compositions. The porcelain is intuitively wrestled into shape, and subtle features are modelled before the surfaces are painted with cobalt blue washes responding to the tonal shades of the tree bark. The birds fly over the branch amongst the floating clouds, representing the symbolic elements of hope and optimism in the face of climate change. 

Materials: Porcelain, cobalt and underglaze decoration 
Dimensions (cm): 60 H x 60 W x 10 D

*PLEASE CONTACT RACHEL REGARDING DELIVERY OF WORK IF YOU ARE LOCATED IN ADELAIDE OR ADELAIDE HILLS. IF YOU ARE LOCATED ELSEWHERE, PLEASE CONTACT RACHEL TO ORGANISE A COURIER AND A QUOTE FOR DELIVERY.e: rachel@hahndorfacademy.org.auph: 8388 7250