Who is Deborah Leser?
My favourite bit of the coast is from Bondi to Tamarama Coastal walk.The sandstone cliffs form this part of Australia’s eastern coast date from the Triassic (190 – 225 mil.), an integral part of ancient Aboriginal history. The traditional custodians of this coast and hinterland, the Gadigal people, inhabited the coastal area from South Head to the Sydney Harbour until the British arrived in 1788. I feel the ‘ancientness’ and layering of history in this place. I am awed by its intricacy and strength, with the dramatic juxtaposition of huge rock faces and wind swept boulders, rich deep patterning of the sandstone, pure hues of earth colours, and shapes of the shore line and cliffs, eroded by time and the elements, to form caves, crevices and sweeping curves. Exquisite lacy patterns are etched into the rock and pinnacles jut up from the rock bed and crashing waves below, where natural sea pools ebb and flow amongst the mountains of sea smoothed pebbles. This precious gift of nature I am so grateful for is on my door step.
Deborah’s inspiration
In my textile creation, “the Bondi to Tamarama Coastal Walk” I’ve kind of gone ‘freeform.’ I’ve just let the ‘coast scapes’ and the rock infuse me, to create, and endeavour to capture its essence and substance. The painterly process became a kind of X ray mapping exploration of the terrain’s permutations. The gauzy fabric underneath the silk organza gives just a suggestion of unknown layers of the coast’s evolution, and its texture helps to evoke the sandiness and texture of the sandstone. I also like the interplay of the gauze and organza, its airiness and the way the linear forms on each layer synchronise with each other.
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