Penny Jerrim

I have been working on linocuts and I'm engrossed by the challenge of creating a narrative in black and white. This reminds me of the books of a childhood where illustrations were almost always black and white etchings, woodcuts or linocut prints and yet were portals into a world of mystery and magic. I love the narrative power of those old prints and have used linocut prints in an aesthetic response to the loss of biodiversity in our Tasmanian environment.

The Department of Parks and Wildlife stretch their resources to the limit to study and record the tiny creatures depicted in the prints. There may be many other species - already gone - which we will never know about. These small, exquisite life forms do not draw attention to themselves. They are beautiful in themselves but are part of a network of life forms which rely on them being there.

My response as an artist is to their beauty. My response as a human is to appreciate their place in the environment. My response as a citizen is to be distressed at the things we do to destroy them.