Tania Tocar is an emerging conceptual artist whose work explores the environment and human interaction with the rest of the natural world, using watercolour, ink and pen.

“There is no environment ‘out there’ that is separate from us… our lungs, same air.” — David Suzuki

Through her paintings, Tocar aims to raise awareness about the profound interconnectedness of nature and promote awe as an essential goal for human health. When walking through the local foreshore areas around Gimuy (Cairns), she spends time in silence, tuning into visceral registers of the environment. She then records these physical sensations alongside traditional visual representations. Tocar attempts to make the invisible energy of a place visible and believes that recognising this natural power cultivates a feeling of wonder, and a relationship with the rest of nature made of curiosity, humility and co-operation.

Back in the studio, Tocar’s process continues with loose watercolour and ink forms laid down in a semi-unplanned way to represent the tangible world. She then allows some of the ink to run organically, forming unplanned growths, suggested connections and unexpected forms. Pen is then applied, following the patterns and edges left where the ink naturally settles. Lines envisage a depth of field in the landscape, forming a ‘map’ of the terrain.

Through this experimental layering of materials, where one medium exerts a strong presence over the other’s guiding form, an unpredictable exploration unfolds.

Conceptual ideas underpinning human interaction with the environment are mirrored in the enactment of processes within Tocar’s work. The joint effort of intentional marks and organic movement of watery ink, tries to uphold a shared relationship, and reach beyond conscious direction. The top layer aims to enrich the landscape in a complimentary way, to build empathy and understanding, yet restraint is required to minimise the risk of obscuring it’s essential, quiet capacities.