Any long held distinctions between fine art and craft have most definitely been laid to rest by the works in this exhibition.  Lyn Franke describes her compositions (for that is what they are) as being made from “acrylic, silk, silk paper, fibres, metallic threads, sand and stitch etc”.  The “etc” includes anything from fabrics to metallic mesh, collaged into paint. For this reason her works are officially designated as 'mixed media' but they are first and foremost aesthetic compositions. This is because, apart from appreciating the enormous amount of work that has obviously been put into them, the only way to respond to them is to 'read' them as paintings. Structure, colour, tonal relationships, textures and linear definitions have all been carefully thought through and confidently executed.

Lyn’s early years were spent in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia. Here she learnt to appreciate the colour and the 'feel', as well as the flora and fauna, of the vast landscape that surrounded her. She describes herself as being passionate about the environment and this passion is obvious in each one of her dynamic but delicate and finely finished canvasses. The strong colours convey the vibrancy, the harshness, and the heat of the landscape, while her delicate stitchery conveys its fragility and vulnerability. This coming together of vibrancy and delicacy also speaks of the fact that while the Western Australian landscape can appear daunting and even threatening because of its extensiveness and extreme climate, there is a large amount of fine detail to be found when looked at closely and carefully.

Many of the works are constructed by means of horizontal bands of colour, working upwards through dark reds, browns and golds towards rich silver and blues in the skies. These are just the colours that command one’s attention when first encountering the red earth and the blue skies of the desert regions. The variations in colour convey the diversity of the landscape while the horizontal strata, with no hills and with no frames to keep them in or restrict them, gives a real sense of its vastness and openness. A diptych entitled Jewel of the Earth 1 is particularly effective in its richness of colours and textures. Pieces of fabric are collaged into the paint so skillfully that it is difficult to determine where fabric ends and paint begins. Together fabric and paint give an almost three dimensional effect.

Several works capture the atmosphere of a particular place or time of day. In three of them storms are evoked. One is reminiscent of a fiery sunset, another, a dust storm. All three are brooding and dynamic at the same time. A pair of works called Golden Vines captures the springtime with green vine leaves, and then the autumn with red and gold coloured leaves. The orderliness of the vineyard is captured by constructing the vines around the golden section, or 'one-third line', as the branches twine around their supporting trellises. There is a great deal of sensitivity in these two, as if to indicate that it is possible for the land to be cultivated without being destroyed. This balance between natural beauty and human activity is of great concern to Franke, particularly when it comes to accessing the mineral wealth beneath the land.

The 'one-third line' is used in other works by Franke. In Bungle Up Close 1 a single tree is placed vertically in this position as a counterfoil to the horizontal bands of coloured earth. The few green leaves of the tree are in complementary contrast to the red of the earth, as life struggles to survive in such a harsh environment. The corrugations and 'lumps' created by the collaging and stitching suggest the weathering of the ancient landforms.  The reds create a sense of the summer heat that is characteristic of these regions. Here there is no blue sky, just the desert, the escarpments and the rocks, yet the variations in colour give the viewer a rich visual experience.

On a smaller scale is a delightful pair of works entitled Banksia-Ashbys and Banksia-Menzies. The rich colours of the dyes, the delicacy of the stitching and the luster of silk threads and paper combine to give these a jewel-like appearance. Silk and silk thread are used also to bring to life images of spinifex and to present two elegant works entitled Silk Garden 1 and 11. 

These works combine the skills of abstract painting, collage and patchwork. There are no narratives and no symbols. There is, however, a simple and compelling message. Care for the earth and celebrate its richness and diversity, for it does indeed have a 'soul'.