Lucinda Dodds is an artist from Spring Hill, a little town at the edge of Macedon Ranges about 15 minutes from Kyneton, Woodend and Daylesford. She creates vibrant, colourful pieces inspired by where she lives – she tells Elsie Lange about her love for the surrounding landscape, her community and her work.
Tell us a bit about you and what you do?
I’m an artist who works primarily in watercolour and ink. I developed a deep love of working on paper while studying drawing and printmaking at art school, so a love of watercolour evolved naturally. My paintings are abstracts that are inspired by where I live and what we grow in our acre of garden. I have a particular love of flowers and colour and work mostly on large sheets of paper, often using brushes made from natural and recycled materials gathered on my daily walk. The unique marks these handmade tools create imbues my art with a subtle layer of meaning, probably evident only to me.
Teaching has become a rewarding extension of my own creative practice. My approach is to break down the slightly old-fashioned reputation watercolour has and instead, encourage students to paint intuitively and allow the watercolour to do its own marvellous thing. Having fun is a huge part of the experience too – I mean, if you’re not having fun, why are you doing it? As I also trained as a meditation teacher, naturally I like to approach it all in a mindful way. I run a class called Contemporary Watercolour at Kyneton Community House.
What’s your connection to Spring Hill and the Macedon Ranges?
As a kid, I was captivated by Joan Lindsay’s haunting book Picnic at Hanging Rock with its air of mystery and menace, then later saw the beautiful and equally haunting film by Peter Weir. There was something about the rock and the landscape that felt like home even though I grew up in suburban Sydney. When I moved to Victoria more than 20 years ago it was the first place I visited. I now see Hanging Rock at least once a week as I drive into Woodend, and seeing it never fails to give me a little thrill.
What do you like about where you live?
Spring Hill is a quiet hamlet, right at the edge of the Macedon Ranges and we have an abundance of water that flows from a natural spring – perfect for gardening. We get to experience all the seasons up here, and our cool climate garden gives me as much inspiration as the surrounding landscape does. We have a great mix of farms, gardens and forest in Spring Hill – the full country experience.
What, if anything, would you change about where you live?
It’s a lovely community that we are a part of, and I wouldn’t change a thing.
Where is your favourite local place to spend time?
So many places in the Macedon Ranges feel special to me, but I love going for long, meandering walks at Bald Hill Reserve just outside of Kyneton. It’s one of the best kept secrets in the shire for nature-lovers, especially in spring as the wildflowers bloom. For a coffee and catch up I can’t go past The Town Roaster in Kyneton, and Spring Hill Nursery is a must for anyone who loves plants.
Tell us something people would be surprised to know about you.
I’m a freelance children’s book editor by day, helping writers to create strong stories, something that grew out of many years working in the book trade as a specialist children’s bookseller. I’m a bit of a grammar nerd at heart. I’ve also been an MS Readathon Ambassador – getting kids to love reading remains an ongoing passion in my life.
Sign up for Lucinda’s classes here: www.socialplanet.com.au/activity/view?id=9249
