Artist Corinne Loxton in her Blaxland studio. (Photo: Julie Nance)
By Julie Nance
Lower Blue Mountains artist Corinne Loxton has used daily walks in the bush, journaling and painting to help her overcome culture shock and a personal crisis, and to connect more deeply with herself and the rest of the natural world.
Key Points:
- Slowing down, immersing yourself in the beauty and fragility of nature, and noticing the many small details in life around you, is a form of ‘mindfulness’ that has been shown to reduces stress and anxiety.
- For Corinne, walking in the bush is a meditative, contemplative practice; one that helped her overcome a major personal crisis.
Throughout her childhood, Corinne Loxton’s daily life in Cape Town, South Africa, was anchored by Table Mountain, looming above her bedroom window. When she came to Australia at age 15, she felt displaced. It wasn’t until the landscape and sky artist moved from Sydney to the lower Blue Mountains years later that she regained a sense of belonging.
Out on the water in her little one-person boat, nature threw everything at 10-year-old Corinne: strong winds, rain and storms. She spent hours each week sailing in her hometown, with the mountain a familiar, reassuring backdrop.
“I was always immersed in the landscape, and I felt as if my day was almost determined by the mood of the mountain,” Corinne says. “I’d be very aware of the clouds, the mist, the colours. From as early as I can remember, I’ve always had a mystical relationship with nature.”
Without Table Mountain to orient her daily life in Australia, Corinne was disoriented.
“I felt this cultural shock and the foreignness of the environment; the difference in smells and colours,” she recalls. “I spent a long time living in cities – Canberra and Sydney – but I still wanted to paint landscape.”
Corinne experienced nature by looking up at the sky, creating quite abstract, colour-filled sky paintings.
Breathing Space, 2011, reflecting Corinne’s focus on the sky while living in the city. (Corinne Loxton)
After moving to Blaxland in 2012 as a single mum of three children aged 12, 7 and 5, Corinne started walking in the bush behind her home near Cripple Creek. Organically her paintings moved from the sky to capturing the ground, trees and other flora, thriving, struggling and evolving.
Watch Corinne painting in the bush behind her home, where she feels a deep connection. It’s a place that fuels her both personally and professionally
She says the “poetry of interaction with nature” nourishes her personally and strongly influences her work. Walking in the bush is essential to her practice.
“The walking, the noticing, journaling, all of those things are important to setting the groundwork for feeling centred and grounded.” – Corinne Loxton
“For instance, this morning when I went into the bush, I opened my senses to what was going on around me. I noticed my movements, my emotions and experienced what was happening around me: how loud the bees were; watching the tiny birds darting around; the shifting colours and the seeds; how the seasons cause things to change.”
Corinne painting in the bushland behind her home in November 2023. (Photo supplied)
Corinne usually walks along the same local tracks and has noticed both subtle and more dramatic changes in the landscape over the past decade. She now sees cliffs that were once hidden by trees and banksias dying and falling to the ground.
“I’m noticing the decay and the renewal and trying to make sense of that,” she says. “My work reflects the deep relationship I have with this place.”
Wisdom of Trees I, 2023: “For over 10 years I have walked past this tree in the bushland near my home. As though by a miracle, it emerges from a crevice in the sandstone rock and stands serenely overlooking the valley below.” (Corinne Loxton)
Corinne has carved out a successful 30-year career as a painter, supplementing her income intermittently with casual teaching in local high schools. She regularly runs evening, full day and weekend workshops in her studio.
In 2020 Corinne faced an overwhelming personal crisis which upended all aspects of her life and sent her into a “massive shame spiral”. Her paintings, usually gestural, ethereal land and skyscapes unintentionally took on a more realistic tone. Corinne found it unsettling when people began to comment that her paintings looked like photos.
In her studio the tiny brush strokes on the canvas, the increasing level of detail, helped Corinne focus and block out the negative thoughts invading her mind.
Glenbrook Lagoon had already emerged as a sacred space. During the height of Corinne’s crisis, she created a large series of paintings that spoke to human experiences of joy, hope, loss and longing.
Looking Glass, 2022: “This painting portrays a reflected world that could almost be flipped over, paralleling my search for truth, and questioning reality. Dark trees began framing and partially obscuring the landscape beyond, acting both metaphorically and visually as a barrier or line of containment.” (Corinne Loxton)
For a few months Corinne ceased painting altogether and had to slowly rebuild her crushed confidence and self-esteem. She found solace in the simple things in life: chatting with her teenage children, gardening, yoga and journaling. Every day she walked in the bush, a meditative, contemplative practice that was central to her healing.
In a TEDx Katoomba talk in June this year, Corinne spoke of the wise advice her ‘gran’ gave her as a teenager, proving to be pivotal to her recovery as an adult. Walking the cliffs of a fishing village in the western cape of South Africa, she used to stop and breathe, slow down and notice what was happening around her.
“The rocks, the lichen, the colours in the clouds, the creatures in the water or wriggling on the track. Decades before the popularisation of mindfulness, my gran showed me how to be present and bathe in nature.” – Corinne Loxton
About 11,000 kilometres as the crow flies from her hometown, Corinne remembered to stop “pushing and striving” and soak in the reality of the Blue Mountains bush. As she slowed things down her desire to paint intensified. Back in her studio she produced tiny sky paintings and tree artworks, full of detail that proved to be “restorative”.
Evensong V, 2022: Exploring little sky paintings. (Corinne Loxton)
Into & Beyond V, 2022: Part of a series of 30 x 30 cm images of densely wooded bushland. They are incredibly detailed paintings that took many days to make with tiny brushes. (Corinne Loxton)
A blend of time, nature, self-care, family, friends and painting helped restore Corinne’s sense of self and renewed her creativity. She painted recently in the open air at Glen Davis, 70 km north of Lithgow in the Capertee Valley.
“It was a wonderful, immersive experience working in the outdoors each day, with all the challenges and joys of the elements,” she says. “Being grounded in nature, tramping through valleys and over clifftops, eating smoky food around the fire and waking with the birds at first light: all this renewed my passion and revitalised my spirit.”
Glowing Cliffs, Glen Davis, 2023: A recent plein air (outdoors) painting made over a few hours. (Corinne Loxton)
Take Action:
- View Corinne’s latest works at her exhibition Realms and Ranges, plein air and studio paintings in the Capertee Valley and the Blue Mountains. 10am-4pm, 2-3 December at 12 Jamison St, Blaxland.
- Explore your creativity through music, dance, poetry, writing, whatever brings you joy. If you would like to try your hand at painting, check out Corinne’s workshops.
- Give yourself permission to slow down and pay attention to what’s around you; the beauty in your world, even if it’s just watching an insect crawling along the footpath.
Share this article:
This story has been produced as part of a Bioregional Collaboration for Planetary Health and is supported by the Disaster Risk Reduction Fund (DRRF). The DRRF is jointly funded by the Australian and New South Wales governments.
More from around the region
In our `How to Build a Survival Garden in the Blue Mountains` workshop on Saturday 5 April, we`ll be starting an Upper Mountains Seed Saving group and sharing seeds, tubers, recipes for more unusual foods, and information about the many ways we can create more food system diversity and resilience. Learn about skirret, salsify, collards, cardoons, sea kale, Good King Henry, mangel wurzel, oca, yacon and more. Places are limited so bookings essential here (link in profile) : bit.ly/4kVAUA8
#foodsystems #foodsecurity #fooddiversity #foodresilience #biodiversity #planetaryhealth #healthydiet #plantbased #katoomba #bluemountains
Was that a frog or cricket you heard? Check out our video matching the photos of the 20 frogs of the Blue Mountains Mountains with their calls so you can learn the difference. View our exhibition, learn how to use the FrogID app, and how to build a frog pond and frog hotel, at our workshop this Saturday 5 April at 9am. Bookings via via link in profile. You can view our full video on YouTube (link in profile). Subscribe for more great content. #frogs #bluemountainsfrogs #planetaryhealth #katoomba #frogcalls #exhibition #workshop
A huge thank you to the Blue Mountains Interfaith Group for organising an inspiring afternoon that brought community together and renewed our sense of connection, hope, wonder, shared purpose and commitment to care for our extraordinary planet. We had a full house with the Frogs of the Blue Mountains looking over our shoulders! Next Saturday 5 April we`ll be launching Saturday morning T`ai-chi and Qigong which will continue on the first Saturday of every month. Bookings essential here (link in profile): bit.ly/3Rn9RzY #interfaith #hope #wonder #commitment #connection #community #planetaryhealth #katoomba #bluemountains #taichi #qigong
Our Planetary Health Newsletter is out! Read it here https://bit.ly/4l7sC89 (link in profile) to find out how Planetary Health has been at the core of Blue Mountains City Council`s Sustainability Model and Map for Action for 25 years and what it means; watch our `We Are Nature` video and our latest video on the Frogs of the Blue Mountains and all their calls; read about how we`re focusing on what connects us, not what separates us, at the Interfaith Gathering this Sunday 30 March; learn how you can take action for Planetary Health on Saturday 5 April with T`ai-chi & Qigong, workshops on the Frogs of the Blue Mountains and building Survival Gardens; and participating in Planetary Health Bushcare. There`s also still time to apply for our Conference and Events Organiser position at the Planetary Health Centre. You can subscribe to receive the newsletter at any of our local news sites, like www.katoombalocalnews.com (link in profile)
@ph_alliance
#planetaryhealth #sustainability #jobs #taichi #qigong #survivalgardens #frogs #bluemountains #katoomba #mapforaction #sustainabilitymodel #wearenature #interfaith #bushcare #community #action
Did you know that this is a Screaming Tree Frog, and that there are at least 20 different known frogs in the Blue Mountains? Join our workshop on Saturday 5 April to view all of them at the Planetary Health Centre, and learn how to use the FrogID app to record and identify their calls. We’ll also be demonstrating how to build a pond or frog hotel to increase habitat for them. Reserve your spot in the workshop here (link in profile):
https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/the-frogs-of-the-blue-mountains-tickets-1281801285149
Photo: Alexander Dudley
@frogidaus
#frogs #bluemountainsfrogs #screamingtreefrog #planetaryhealth #skillshare #habitat #froghabitat #frogcalls #katoomba #bluemountains
We are starting Saturday morning T`ai-chi and Qigong at 8am on Saturday 5 April at the Planetary Health Centre.
Places are limited so bookings essential here (link in profile): https://bit.ly/3Rn9RzY
T`ai-chi and Qigong routines can increase mobility and strength, improve immunity and help build an inner calm - a great way to start the weekend!
The monthly practice at the Planetary Health Centre is suitable for people with a little or lots of experience. Join us on the 1st Saturday of the month at 8 am, to nourish your body, mind and spirit or 3 treasures (in Chinese, Jing, Chi and Shen, or San Bao)
Virginia Field is an experienced trainer of T`ai-chi/Qigong, with more than 30 years experience.
This activity is the first in a full day of Skillshare activities at the Centre:
8am T`ai-chi and Qigong
9am-3pm Fashion Upcycling
9am Frogs of the Blue Mountains and how to help them
10am-1pm How to Build a Survival Garden in the Blue Mountains
1.30-4.30pm Planetary Health Bushcare
Contact Lis on 0407 437 553 for more information.
#taichi #qigong #innercalm #mobility #personalhealth #planetaryhealth #katoomba #bluemountains #planetaryhealthcentre
Bookings are now open for our very popular Upcycled Fashion Program on Saturday 5 April. Learn how to use a machine, how to mend, sew, adjust and remodel clothes, and how to create your own patterns to use up all that fabric you`ve been collecting! If you`re interested in earning money, you can also be supported to become part of the Repair Network helping keep textiles out of landfill. Places are limited so get in early to book your place here (link in profile):
https://bit.ly/4c2Go85 #upcycling #upcycledfashion #skillsharesaturday #planetaryhealth #keepingtextilesoutoflandfill #skillshare #katoomba #bluemountains #sustainability #socialenterprise
We are looking for a Professional Conference & Events Organiser to join our team at the Planetary Health Centre! If you`re keen to make a difference and demonstrate how events can be run sustainably and help inspire change, we`d love you to work with us! Applications close 30 March. Scroll down to learn more here (link in profile): https://www.bmcc.nsw.gov.au/jobs and ring Lis on 0407 437 553 if you`d like to discuss. Please share if you know anyone who might be interested! #jobs #hiring #conferenceorganiser #eventsorganiser #planetaryhealth #careers #inspiringchange #sustainableevents #applynow
Would you know what to prioritise if you needed to build a survival garden in the Blue Mountains? Do you know how families survived and stayed healthy during the Great Depression? What would you need to grow to provide all your nutritional needs on a plant based diet? How can you have fruit all year round in a cold climate? Have you grown salsify, skirret, yacon or American Ground Nut and would you know how to cook them? We’ll answer all these questions in our ‘How to Build a Survival Garden Workshop’ at the Planetary Health Centre from 10am to 1pm on Saturday 5 April. We’ll discuss how we can work together to make our local food system healthier and more resilient and we’ll have planting guides, recipes and some seeds, bulbs and tubers available to get you started. Places are limited so bookings essential here (link in profile): https://bit.ly/4kVAUA8
#growyourown #survivalgarden #salsify #skirret #yacon #oca #bluemountains #permaculture #planetaryhealth #seedsaving #foodsecurity #healthyfood #gardening #communityfarming
It`s only just over a week until the Blue Mountains Interfaith Gathering at the Planetary Health Centre on Sunday 30 March. We`ll be sharing spirituality and care for the environment in these challenging times with music, ideas and ceremony ... starting with a smoking ceremony at 1.45pm. The event is free but please book here (link in profile): https://bit.ly/3Fw8RqB
#planetaryhealth #bluemountains #interfaith #katoomba #interfaithgathering #smokingceremony #ceremony
