Rationale

Artwork Title: Field Notes

For this work, Sarah McCloskey utilises the festival environment to pivot from her customary intricate realism work toward a bolder, more painterly aesthetic. The heavily textured brick canvas serves as a site for experimentation, where the work is framed to resemble an open sketchbook or a personal photo album.

Through this window, McCloskey depicts Eucalyptus preissiana and Hakea laurina.
These native Western Australian species, which share a common presence in the Victorian landscape, function as a bridge of familiarity and personal connection between the artist and the Benalla community. 

By amplifying her colour palette and anchoring the piece with a radiating neon orange background, McCloskey transforms a quiet, off-street location into a vibrant point of discovery. This surprise and delight installation invites passersby to pause, drawing them into a closer investigation of something unique and often overlooked, the inherent beauty in the native flora of their own hometown.

About SARSAR

SARSAR (Sarah McCloskey) is a Western Australian visual artist based in Sydney, working across painting, illustration, and large-scale public murals. Inspired by people, places, and everyday moments, her work often blurs the line between real and imagined, inviting viewers to find beauty and curiosity in even the simplest of subjects. Portraiture and storytelling sit at the core of her practice, reflected in both her studio-based oil paintings as well as public art.  A finalist in prestigious portrait awards including the Archibald Prize, she currently works from a studio in Marrickville, while her murals can be seen across Australia and overseas.