Gum Leaf Blower 1930
Location: 2020 Drycleaners
ARTIST: Ben Brown
MEDIUM: Digital drawing created on an iPad
SIZE: Framed – 40x60cm Actual – 30x42cm
ABOUT THE ARTWORK:
A friend posted a photograph that inspired this piece online, I assume it was a glass slide and was dated 1930.
Unfortunately, I couldn't find any more info as to where this striking young man was photographed, or who took the photo. It is from the National Archive.
I love reading about indigenous culture and history, particularly in the area I grew up in northern Sydney. It is a beautiful area and must have been close to the modern ideal of paradise before European colonization.
I like to imagine this fella as a proud young Cammeraygal man, sitting in the bush somewhere, overlooking the ocean. Of course, in 1930 indigenous culture was very thin on the ground in this area.
I acknowledge and respect the Elders, past, present, and emerging of the Cammeraygal people and the mob of the young man who was the inspiration for this piece.
Value: $400AUD
Reserve: $200AUD
Ben Brown is a Sydney-based illustrator, designer, and artist. He has worked for a mixed variety of clients for over thirty years. Commissions range across publishing, apparel and the music industry. He has exhibited his personal work in several solo and group shows in Australia and overseas.
Instagram @mentalben