Q & A: Matilda Dumas

2 min read

A Year at Sea.

What do you love about where you live?

I’m currently living on a little farm in the southern tablelands of NSW, which is a complete contrast to last year! In 2023 I lived on a 69-foot-old wooden ketch, sailing and travelling the world …but there is a beauty about being home. I love the vastness of the landscape - life is all about different experiences.

How did you come to be an artist?

I have always painted and drawn as most young children have, I just never stopped. As a child I told my mum I didn’t need to learn to read as I would be an artist when I grew up ….. I love reading now!

Who or what influences you creatively?

Everything seems to influence me. I’m a bowerbird in that respect. All visual experiences are inspirations. Every dawn, every sunset, water, clouds, life and most importantly, the passage of light over it all.

What materials do you use in your practice, and what do you love about them?

I paint in oils as they are so versatile, and the slow drying time allows you to push them around and mold the paint. They have a fabulous lustre but can be knocked back to almost a watercolour consistency …. it's all technique, how you use them determines the overall aesthetic.What was your inspiration for this particular body/series/piece of work?

This latest body of work directly reflects our time spent living on a yacht for just over a year. The incredible places we visited from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean….and the huge array of vessels and their relation to the vastness of their surroundings. The passage of light over the water and the amazing colour changes from deep purple to the lightest turquoise…. So inspiring.

Name 5 Things you can’t live without.

Such a timely question! Because for the past year, I’ve had to live with so little.
Very little fresh water - so no freshwater showers for weeks on end - limited foods as we were at sea for periods of up to 4 weeks and then often limited supplies on the island.