Penelope Oates works exclusively on MDF boards that are primed and sealed in an oil-based acrylic, giving her the best surface to etch into with her heated soldering iron. The introduction of an etching tool into her practice has now become the lead actor in her repertoire, allowing her to transform the smooth surface of MDF board into a tactile surface of overlapping, textural marks.

Trees have always featured heavily in Penelope’s work, this fascination began early with many trips to the NSW art gallery where she was immediately drawn to the Moreton Bay Fig Trees and often sat beneath sketching. The inclusion of both paintings and drawings into this exhibition pays homage to her that first investigations into the landscape as a child with just a pen and sketchbook in hand.