As a photographic visual artist, Nici Cumpston creates large-scale hand-coloured photographs using medium-format cameras. Working with black and white film and the labour-intensive process of hand colouring, she honours her personal responsibility to care for and nurture the precious waterways and all that live and breathe along them.

As Ellen Mueller notes on her website, Nici Cumpston reflects deeply on the traces of Aboriginal presence she encounters in the landscape:

“Everywhere I walk I see evidence of Aboriginal occupation prior to European settlement. I find remnants of flints and grindstones that were used to manufacture stone tools and to grind native seeds and grains. Bark was removed from the outer layers of eucalypt trees to create canoes and coolamons – vessels used to carry food and small babies. The scars left in the trees act like street signs, indicating areas of abundance and safe shelter. I get the strong sense that the ancestors had only just gone, leaving subtle calling-cards to let me know how important these sites are for them.”

This sensitivity to place and its histories also informs her works *Shelter I*& Shelter II. Reflecting on the creation of these images, Cumpston explains:

“This image had initially been printed the wrong way around but when I saw the two images alongside one another, I felt compelled to take advantage of serendipity.” – Nici Cumpston, 2022

She further notes how the concept of refuge emerged from the imagery itself:

“It makes sense within this dry, harsh environment to create a safe place to seek shelter and find solace, even if it is imaginary.” – Nici Cumpston, 2022

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Sources: Nici Cumpston’s website and Ellen Mueller’s website.