About Camilla Grace
The Confluence of Matter and Memory
I have always been a maker. My journey has taken me through painting, sculpture, mosaic, and photography, but I’ve always felt that nature doesn’t fit into just one box—so why should my art?
I am fascinated by the "bones" of our world. Whether it’s the ancient, peeling layers of a Paperbark tree or the intricate, cellular veins of a leaf, I find a kind of geological poetry in the details we often walk right past. My work is an invitation to slow down and look at the foundational weight of the landscape—the parts that feel grounded, enduring, and real.
The Intersection of the Digital and the Tactile
We live so much of our lives through a lens or a screen, yet we have a deep, human need to touch and feel the world around us. My practice explores this tension. I call it The Confluence—the meeting point where industrial precision and the intuitive, human hand become one.
The Process
I work with matte architectural aluminium for its subtle, velvety depth; it holds light in a way that feels soft and atmospheric. Each piece is created as a precision-mated diptych. I house the metal and the oil paint in separate timber floating frames that sit seamlessly together as one. They appear unified, yet a fine "shadow gap" remains between them—a sliver of negative space that allows the two different mediums to breathe.
The Result
When you stand before these works, you see a material dialogue taking place. The cool, architectural metal "talks" to the warm, textured paint. My hope is that these pieces act as a stilled presence in a room—a reminder that in our high-tech world, the raw, earthy foundation of nature is still right beneath our feet.
The Studio Practice
1. Forensic Observation Each work begins with macro-photography, capturing the "hidden architecture" of nature—from the cellular veins of flora to the ancient strata of paperbark.
2. The Digital Substrate These observations are then manipulated and translated onto architectural aluminium. This choice of material provides a sharp, reflective clarity that represents our modern, digital lens.
3. The Tactile Response In the studio, I create a corresponding segment using structural moulding pastes and heavy-bodied oils. This creates a grounded, "subterranean" texture that contrasts with the smooth metal.
4. Precision Mating The final stage is the physical interlocking of the two segments. These disparate materials are precision-mated to form a single, composition—a literal confluence of the machine and the human hand.