Plate 49

(72) Susie Baxter Smith – Mosi-oa-Tunga

(1133) Monika Lorenz- Victoria Falls

About this Artwork
Price: $250 AUD


In this work I have disappeared to the base of The Victoria Falls on the Zambesi River in Southern Rhodesia. Also called Mosi-oa-Tunya “the smoke that thunders”. The water is falling heavily and noisily around me. Looking up I can see the mist, or “smoke” floating high into the sky. I can make out a few pieces of greenery above me through the gushing water. Bright green mosses on the rocks beneath me feel cold and slippery. Droplets of water shimmer and dance around me as the light breaks through the cascading falls.
This is how I imagine it would feel to stand beneath the Victoria Falls and have tried to express this with the cool blues and greens in this artwork. Collage in vertical lines of varying width have been used to convey the height of the falls and the power of the water tumbling down on top of me.

About Susie

I have lived most of my life on the Northern Beaches of Sydney and while I have traveled near and far, I find myself happily inspired by the surroundings of home. I studied fine art after leaving school and had a successful career as a Graphic Designer and Illustrator before deciding to become a full time mum to my two boys. That’s when my passion for painting was reignited.
The landscape I find myself in has been a long time inspiration for my work. I have had paintings exhibited in The Mosman Art Prize, The Warringah Art Prize, The Gosford Art Prize and The Royal Easter Show.
Collage and mixed media have become my medium of choice. I am inspired by the colours and textures I find around me and like to create numerous pieces of a particular landscape in paint, pencil and crayon. Then splice them and reassemble them to create one work. I am exploring the way we see and react to our surroundings, always being aware of many images in the one situation.

Link to Susie’s Art Aviso profile HERE

Susie was supplied the following page from Newnes’ Pictorial Knowledge Encyclopedia:

Volume 3
The story of the world and it’s peoples.
The Victoria Falls in Southern Rhodesia.

About this Artwork
Price: 120 EUR

I have never been to Africa and didn’t know a lot about the ”The Victoria Falls in Southern Rhodesia” which is the basis of this work. I found out that they were one of the most popular waterfalls in the world, Once the sound of the waterfalls can be heard from a distance of 40 km, while the mist was seen from a distance of 50 km. The water level varies during the year, with it’s peak in April and the lowest level in October and early November. In December 2019 the average flow over the falls was down by almost 50 percent because of climate change. We all have to fight against climate crisis that ”the smoke that thunders” won’t dry up one day. We all have to find our way to care for our planet, so I only used offcuts and preloved materials from my naturally dyed fabrics for this piece of art.

About Monika

Based in rural Southern Germany, I have been sewing since I was a young woman. I’m combining stitching, sewing by hand, natural dying, printing with plants and felting to create quilts and embroidery, framed and wearable art. Consciousness about our planet leads me to use more and more materials with a minimal impact on the environment, old household linen, bed sheets, dressmaking offcuts, preloved cloth. I don’t use poisonous mordants in my dying process. The ability to turn plain white fabric into something precious and just using some leaves and heat is what drives me. My pieces are memories, documents, souvenirs of my life and travels. I especially love material with a history, taking something that was loved once, adding something of me and my history and giving it a new life. The material is inspiring me, guiding my way to create a unique new piece, giving something old a second life.

Link to Monika’s Art Aviso profile HERE

Monika was provided with the following page from Newnes’ Pictorial Knowledge Encyclopedia:

Volume 3
The story of the world and it’s peoples
The Victoria Falls in Southern Rhodesia