Richard Kulma - A Story Told in Timber

A Story Told in Timber
Oil
91cm x 122cm
Framed
Ref. 55192

They have wonderful names like Yarralumbla, Bungaree, Haddon Rig and Windy…They say something about us … they have stories to tell … of triumph and despair. Of dreams and characters and of the passing tide of history. They stand on the land like icons, like great constructions on a sea of grass.

Once described as the ‘Cathedrals of the bush’ the woolsheds of this land hold a special place in the hearts and minds of generations of Australians. If buildings can be passionate, then these collections of iron and timber and stone that stand surreal, against the light and mood of the sky play on the senses with their special evocative beauty.

Sadly, as the years have passed, the ravages of fire, time and the changing rural economy have seen many iconic Woolsheds lost from the landscape. Properties were split up and turned over to other uses but time and again something very special was lost from the very soul of this immense country.

Generations of colourful characters made their lives around these iconic buildings. Weary sun bleached timbers held a million yarns and mateship flourished with a special bond. I try to capture and recapture these ‘Cathedrals of the bush’, to re-imagine them under vast blue or angry skies.

To see them once more invoke their special magic on the senses of those who understand. Before time and all it's changes sweep them away, it is my privilege as an artist to give them new life on canvas.

- Richard Kulma