Delivering Donations to the Displaced

Hot off the work bench, I literally only finished this piece minutes ago.  I’m really happy with it, but I am not sure about the name, I’m hoping something more eloquent will come to me…

It’s the latest in my community series and it is about my memory of the well worn path through our local evacuation centre during the floods.  Many, many locals who were not affected donated anything they could to those in our community who had lost so much.  It was such a help to me to be able to do something positive amongst so much devastation and I hope that in some small way it gave comfort and practical assistance to those in need.  

Every time I visited the evacuation centre the piles of donated goods was larger and not just piles of used things, but specially purchased items, the specific requirements that were called for, one day it was toiletries and baby goods another day it was, sheets and towels or cleaning gear and gum boots. It was uplifting to see the community reaching out to help those in need

In my painting the evacuee’s are represented by the scattered dots, the people I saw when visiting the evacuation centre where in shock, wandering, seemingly aimless and scattered around the grounds.  The ark of dots in the corner represents those on a mission to deliver goods and offer a hand in any way they could.   It still brings tears to my eyes to think about just how many people where at that evacuation centre and it was just one of many. 

Anyway I didn’t intend for this post to be sad, so to end on a more positive note here it is, my latest painting…

Delivering Donations to the Displaced

Kylie Marie Stevens

Encaustic on mounted linen

600 x 600mm

2011

What do you think?

Inspired

I’ve been inspired by my community as the flood waters receded and thousands of helping hands have been offered to those in need.  It’s amazing the creative ways that people have found to help and contribute. 

The Swich Contemporary Art Space have called for donations of artwork for a flood relief auction and I have painted and submitted this piece for consideration. 

"Community"

Kylie Marie Stevens 

encaustic on linen

450 x 450mm

2011

The background symbolises the receding flood waters and the circle of dots the people coming together to help and contribute as we begin to rebuild.   I hope this feeling of community spirit and strength continues long beyond the clean up and recovery stages.  



Support

"Support"

Kylie Marie Stevens

oil on linen

900 x 990mm

2010

I survived the floods unscathed, so many in my community are not so lucky.  It’s overwhelming and so very sad to witness the devastation so close to home.  The last few days have been a flurry of getting batches of donations to the evacuation centre and keeping an eye one of our family’s homes for flood waters and looters.  

Curly Guy was out offering his muscle to the clean up yesterday, but I was home with Little Guy, I feel so useless and want so desperately to help anyway I can.  

I have donated the painting above “Support” to The Queensland Flood Appeal Raffle. I thought it was appropriate as it has been amazing watching the way the community has pulled together to “support” one and other through this disaster.  

There are so many fantastic prizes on offer in this raffle, please pop over to the page and find out how to purchase a ticket and help us get as much money as possible to the people who are suffering.