Carla Crompton
Tasmania: a woman’s view

Tasmania is my island, my home, my safe haven. I like its aloneness, its size, the fact that it is surrounded by nothing but sea and sky. I love to stand on its beaches and look out to sea, where the rest of the world exists, but cannot be seen. To be there makes me totally relaxed, at peace with myself and with life in general.

With Tasmania a woman’s view I try to ‘advertise’ this island to the rest of the world as a sanctuary to be envied by outsiders. I chose the shopping bag concept because it portrays the domestic angle. Shopping bags are used a lot by women, and also can be easily taken off the island by female travellers as a souvenir; or as a present for other women who have not yet experienced this special place.

The photo I used in my work was taken in the early 70’s soon after arriving in Tasmania and the dress I am wearing was the first piece of clothing I made whilst living on the NW Coast. The fabric was from an old dress of my mother which I had brought with me from the Netherlands. The lining of the shopping bag is fabric reprinted from the original dress. The colours I chose for the work reflect not only the 1970’s, but also the brightness of the Tasmanian beach, sea and sky, which I found so very different from Europe.