A Year at Glenbrook Lagoon: Braemar Gallery Blue Mountains

Contemporary en plein air landscape painting and related site-based practices continue to offer powerful ways for artists to explore and express their personal connection to place through direct, creative engagement with the environment. Rooted in sustained observation and immersion, this approach allows for a deeper understanding of the subtle, often ephemeral qualities of natural landscapes, and fosters a sense of attachment shaped by time, presence, and repeated encounters. The exhibition A Year at Glenbrook Lagoon embodies these principles, showcasing the work of ten artists—Caren Berzens, Rhett Brewer, Margaret England, Vicki Hersey, Di Holdsworth, Louise Kerr, Liz Perfect, Adrienne Richards, Leo Robba, and Kate Robinson—who met and worked regularly at the rare upland swamp in the lower Blue Mountains. Over the course of a year, each artist developed a unique response to the site, expressed through diverse media including ceramics, collage, painting, assemblage, soft sculpture, installation, and printmaking.

This research investigates contemporary en plein air and site-based art practices as vital methodologies for cultivating personal and ecological connections to place. Through direct engagement with the environment, these approaches emphasise immersive observation, fostering deeper awareness of natural landscapes and their ephemeral qualities. The suite of 4 works which formed part of the exhibition A Year at Glenbrook Lagoon offers a significant contribution, exploring ecological themes through a sustained, site-responsive practice. The artworks—rooted in both scientific inquiry and poetic observation—engage with the shifting rhythms and complex ecologies of the lagoon.

This research highlights the ongoing relevance and transformative potential of contemporary en plein air and site-based art practices in fostering meaningful relationships between artists, communities, and natural environments. By emphasising direct, sustained engagement with place, these practices offer vital alternatives to increasingly detached modes of representation and consumption. A Year at Glenbrook Lagoon underscores the importance of collaborative, site-responsive artistic inquiry in deepening our understanding of fragile ecosystems, particularly within the context of the rare upland swamp of the lower Blue Mountains. Within this framework, the suite of works embodies a nuanced integration of ecological awareness, material sensitivity, and aesthetic depth. This research advances critical dialogues in contemporary landscape art, environmental humanities, and place-based methodologies.