SARAH HILLARY

Time off

I made my first matchbox dioramas during Covid when there was a lot of time spent at home making do with whatever was handy. Restricting my materials to paper and watercolour was a lovely challenge when trying to make complex shapes. I started by recreating scenes from around the family bach on the west coast which was enticingly close, but not available during the restrictions.

I have always been attracted to night scenes with their mysterious qualities and talked with my grandson, 8 year old Hugh, about a favourite work of mine in the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki collection, Black Painting: Night Landscape 1962 by Buster Black (Pihama). It is as if we are looking out from a high viewpoint over a city lit up by a network of red and white dots across black landscape. The work is beautifully simple, but also intensely evocative. Are we returning home or heading to an exciting new location?

In response, Hugh made the delightful matchbox with a star-filled sky pictured here that I treasure. My night and day scenes have stemmed from that inspiring little creation. It reminds me that the notion of unfamiliar destinations has been on my mind a lot lately, the excitement and sense of trepidation that comes from stepping out into the unknown. Last year’s time off provided opportunities to appreciate the light and shadows. Who knows what this year will bring.

– Sarah Hillary