Using a rich pallet of pink, gold, and ochre, Jo’s works reflect the colours of the landscape she encountered in Spring 2015 when she participated in the Hill End Artists in Residence Program.

During this time, Jo researched early geological maps of the area; visiting sites and sourcing maps from the archives and inhabitants of Hill End.

The artist’s fascination with map-making began in 2009 after spending three months in the desert and learning about ‘singing country’ from the stories of an Aboriginal woman: “I realised that her songs were verbal maps,” says Davenport of that experience.

Part science, part artistic design, the map encompasses a range of different graphic expressions – whether printed on paper, chiselled on a stone, painted on an animal skin or viewed on a computer screen.

The works in Jo Davenport’s exhibition “Mapping Hill End” consider the cartographic image’s intricate and abstract visual elements as material interpretations of space.

They explore how maps connect the physical world and, increasingly, the digital world, with human consciousness, nurturing a dialogue between internal and external landscapes.

Working with paper – a befitting cartographic material – the artist considers the artistic currency of maps as both analytical tools and aesthetic objects, calling into question what makes an abstract rendering into a map and, likewise, what makes a map an artwork.

Moving away from topographical and physical representations, the paintings ultimately map the emotions associated with ‘being in’ the landscape: the sensuality of a flowing river, weighty reflections in water, the scent of impending rain, the warmth of the midday sun and cool shimmers of morning light.

Jo Davenport: Mapping Hill End runs until Sunday, July 30.

BRAG will then close from July 31 until September 27 for refurbishment, reopening on the September 28 with the Bathurst Art Fair.

For more information about BRAG’s opening hours and program visit: www.bathurstart.com.