Rosalind Atkins

Rosalind Atkins 
Australian, born 1957

mon–o–cul–tur–al world 2016
wood engraving; edition AP
Geelong Gallery
Gift of Anthony Scott through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program, 2020

Australian printmaker Rosalind Atkins’ approach to wood engraving reflects her interest in the work of English artist Thomas Bewick (1758–1828) who was a keen naturalist, having engraved the illustrations for the two volume publication A History of British Birds (1797 & 1804), and A General History of Quadrupeds (1790). Atkins’ focus has been on trees, harking back to her upbringing in the Victorian town of Terang. In extraordinary detail, she depicts various trees either in isolation or densely forested.

Atkins’ images give visual form to her deep concerns for the environment. In recent series, as the urgency for action on climate change intensifies, she has reflected in her prints the life-cycles of trees, de-forestation, air-pollution, paper manufacturing and recycling.