Summer Gillett is an Australian artist practicing in Northern Rivers, New South Wales Australia. Her work is strikingly beautiful and resonates with aesthetic sensibilities that are pre-modern and imbued with an esoteric dimension.
Her instagram gallery can be found here: https://www.instagram.com/sunbird_artistry/
It is with joy that Summer agreed to talk about her practice and share some of her beautiful work here.
‘…the Mystery is a beautiful Muse, and a never ending source of inspiration and subject matter..’
I am a mostly self taught artist and have been drawing and painting since the age of 14.
I see imagery and symbols as an intrinsic, native language that speaks directly to the soul.
I create art to evoke a remembrance of the sublime nature of things, within myself, and others.
The end result, is usually born from an overflow of thoughtfulness,inspiration as emotive musings and some times just the honest desire to share the appreciation of the beauty I see in the world around me.
Something as simple as painting a flower, takes me to a meditative space, and brings me a lot of joy, just mimicking the majesty of creation.
Other times , there is a story to be told, a more intimate human experience or archetype, deities, symbols kept alive through paint and paper.
For me, beauty is an occult power, that is woven into the tapestry of this existence, which can serve to elevate consciousness and tap into the subtle, finer realms of this life,
This could be described as my daily quest, within which art is a powerful tool and learning experience
Where do you draw your inspiration from?
Inspiration, for me comes from many sources, both inwardly and outward.
I’ve lived in many beautiful places, within my home country, and my travels have lead me from Tahiti to Greece.
I enjoy dwelling in natural beauty, places semi untouched by the monotonous confines of society..
For as long as I can remember, iv been seeking to ‘get free..’
Bodies of water are great source of inspiration for me
My inspiration comes from my senses and experiences
I’m drawn to all things vintage, handmade and crafted from a timeless realm.
Attention to detail and beauty
I strive for this feeling within my own work,
A life devoted to craftsmanship
This is my own personal rebellion against the ugliness of the Industrial Age..
The language of flowers resonates strongly with me, because of this, I really admire and draw inspiration from the highly refined, ornate art of old Europe and the ancient orient.
Birds and animals are a source of inspiration to me,
Mythology is also greatly inspiring to me, echos of eras when humanity had a completely different psychological make up,
I see them as valuable signposts that have survived, to accompany us into modern times..
Other artists inspire me greatly..
How would you describe the painting experience?
At different times, everything from;
- -relaxing and peaceful
- -sublime and rewarding
- -challenging
- -an annoying obsession
An ongoing learning experience, as everything iv done has been experimental prior to 2018, learning some actual painting techniques with Phil and Mantra, Micheal Fuchs and yourself in 2019.
I’d like to learn more traditional techniques, distance and foreground, still life and plein air scenery, are things I’m looking forward to.
The symbolism of your work seems to call from a variety of sources – the celebration of the floral and vegetal from the baroque, elements of the School of Fontainebleau, with an invocation of Gnostic or Hellenistic priestess or oracle mysteries. There is thus a sense of ‘retrieve’ of forgotten anthropological and sacred dimensions in your work, which give stimulus to the sacred role of feminine mysteries and the role of woman as Sophianic principle – oracle between dimensions of existence. If this reflection is accurate, can you talk biographically of how these reconnections emerged in your life and what role art plays in this inner work?
The true response to this is deeply personal to me,
On~’ an oracle between dimensions of existence’
And my personal ~’ sacred role in the feminine mysteries’
These things are innate to me, iv always seen things, sensed things and felt things deeply,
Because my true inner, spiritual work and highest calling in this lifetime has been to turn and face the abuse in my ancestral mother line , which was buried in order to survive.
Pieces of the puzzle have come together, over time, healing the past, whilst protecting and providing something better for the next generation,has been my life path
Art has been my saving Grace
Ayhawasca has helped me with this journey
A remembrance of an ever present, over arching loving presence, the mother to us all, the Holy Spirit
Like the mythos if Hekate lending her lamp to shed light on the path
As Demeter searches for her daughter who is lost in the underworld ( subconscious)
She has to make that journey
These sacred stores have helped me make sense of my own personal experience with healing trans~ generational trauma.
The skill set associated with creativity and the arts, keeping in touch with the inner eye, inner vision and knowing, is a practice I have applied to every day life and healing,
Transmuting pain into beauty through the inner light of consciousness,
Cleaning and building the inner temple, with consistent attention and devotion,
can and will eventually ripple outward, and make itself manifest in a multitude of seemingly miraculous ways..
Using creativity and believing in a true, higher version of myself has helped me transition a pretty turbulent past, overcome self doubt and self sabotage ( ongoing)
Learning how to articulate this process and share it with others seems to be one of the next steps that life is presenting.
Summer Gillett instagram gallery can be found here: https://www.instagram.com/sunbird_artistry/
