Artist Spotlight | Mim Fluhrer
Photos by Alicia Fox Photography
Can you share the beginnings of a painting and where the process takes you?
Moments of inspiration often catch me off guard, they are a surprise gift that beckons my attention, and most of them start with colour. The morning light filtering through trees and early fog, the autumnal colour of a ripe persimmon or the overgrown summer garden full of amaranth in hues of burgundy and deep pink. I love the view on the highway of acid green rolling hills and the bluebird sky above. Then I paint. Soak the canvas in colour, and from there I find form and direction. In this way my starting point is more often than not Nature.. and from there, memory, motherhood, and the journey of being human is woven into the paint.
Tell us about the artwork we have used in this collaboration?
‘Night Sky’ and ‘Illa Langi Track’ were painted in my backyard, Limeburners National Park on Dunghutti land / Crescent Head NSW. They are the gum trees, the melaleuca paperbark, tea tree and coastal shrub that I live amongst. Living on the land and the beautiful connection with nature that I share with my daughter daily is the subject of many of my works. Saying hello and goodnight to the moon every night is a favourite ritual. My work is about the landscape, but also the ritual in how we connect with it.
Can you share how the journey of motherhood is woven into your work?
Every moment I share with my daughter is a beginning of a new painting. Especially when we are outside, and playing in nature. A gift of a purple flower, a dance amongst the fallen autumn leaves, a walk under the wattle blooms with my daughter are all paintings. I start with colour, then I fold the memory and essence of the moment into the mark making.
Motherhood is illuminating, is challenging, is expansive, is fun, is messy, is everything. So is painting.
What have you learnt about the place you live and what do you love most about it?
Living in an off grid permaculture cooperative, I have learnt to slow down. To observe, listen and feel. Nature speaks. I respond. In this place, I am learning everyday how to connect more deeply with myself, and this is everything when I am standing staring at an empty canvas, paintbrush ready in the hand. I love seeing my daughter connect so naturally with her environment, the land and the animals. I love the connection to homegrown food and home cooked meals. I love the community I live with, I love the starlit night sky.
What are you currently absorbed in? Music, clothing, nature, places, books?
When I’m not painting, and even when I am, I have my daughter with me, painting beside me, or actually painting me and I love it. We listen to lots of music and my 4 year old is in charge of the playlist. From Moana, to Sanskrit chanting, to Lady Marmalade (Moulin Rouge) we cover it all. I am mostly dressed in clothes fit for bike riding in muddy puddles, dirt roads and sandy bush tracks, and ride on lawn mowing. I live in my Blundstone shoes and looking for a good pair of working overalls. I have a treasure chest of clothes I love to wear when I hit the city and go to galleries. Coming into winter, I’ll be dusting off a big oversized warm jacket to wear with my Nancybird Posy Skivvy dress and boots.
Autumn is a favourite time of mine to be by the beach on the mid north coast of NSW. The air is crisp, the water is warm and clean. And I’m craving a winter visit into the Australian desert. On my bedside table I have Rick Rubin’s The Creative Act: A Way Of Being.
Breathwork and yoga always.
What’s the top places we should visit in Crescent Head and surrounds?
The back beaches of Crescent Head feel untouched and spacious. The crystal clear waters are beautiful for swimming. The cooperative I live on is a beautiful place - with amazing vegetable gardens and orchards, people living in sustainable off grid houses and in community, it is special. And a bit further up the highway is Bellingen where I spend a lot of time as well.. I’m there for mountain and river magic. And Bruno’s restaurant.
Follow Mim Fluhrer
instagram.com/mimfluhrer
curatorialandco.com/artists/mim-fluhrer
