24 May 2022

This project was a commissioned request from a lovely friend who offered up this uniquely shaped coffee table as a blank canvas. She and her family are keen environmentalists who practice and inspire efforts around land regeneration, biodiversity, and earth advocacy. Her partner is an artist currently working with Australian native grasses in his ecological- and social justice-oriented creative work, which as you can see were the inspiration for this Grasses design.

As a non-Indigenous person (and non-botanist), I want to be careful to emphasise upfront that I am very new to learning about native grasses— and just about everything to do with the lands now called Australia for that matter. My beginner's understanding of Australian  native grasses and plants includes an appreciation of their crucial role in creating and maintaining biodiversity and healthy ecosystems, as well as their deep connection to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, cultures, and land management practices (Caring for Country). Healthy, place-specific growth and care of native plants and grasses (among many other things) have been severely disrupted by European colonisation of Australia (and many other places, i.e. through the introduction of non-native/invasive plants, animals, and excessive land clearing). For more information on this topic, I recommend reading, listening, watching, and seeking out resources from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to learn more (the links above offer some starting points)-- and it is particularly important to learn from Traditional Owners of your area whenever possible.  If you don’t live in Australia, I encourage you to learn the history of the land you are on and see about connecting with, learning from, and supporting First Nations peoples where you are.

So, it is with all of this important foundational info in mind that I began the process of transforming this table!  My friend and her family found this coffee table on the kerbside and brought it home for an unspecified future restoration project. It had a wiggly leg and some damage to the thin veneer surface, but was in pretty good condition and is an undeniably cool shape, which made it the perfect candidate for a painted rebirth. I very gratefully accepted my friend’s invitation to have a play and see what I could do to revitalise it. To offer some design inspiration and guidance, my friend sent me photos of the native grasses growing in her yard, which was such a welcomed opportunity to get acquainted with the shapes and names of some of the grasses native to Meanjin (Brisbane)/ South East Queensland. I sketched up some initial ideas, which allowed me to confirm with my friend that she was happy with soft green hues and layered patterns to mimic the lush way grasses naturally grow.

Once the plan was set, I got to tidying up the table’s structural issues, primed, and applied a couple of very satisfying base coats of Artisan Chalk Paint in Olive Leaf. The first layer of grasses was inspired by Queensland Blue grass and some of the additional layers were inspired by Kangaroo grass, Barbed wire grass, Scented top grass, Curly Mitchell grass, and Black spear grass.  Again, I am a novice when it comes to native grasses, so these are just loose representations :). And I will admit, there was a point along the way that I thought maybe the layered patterns got a little too busy and too bold. So I did what I always do after deep breaths and time away from the paint brush don’t work— I called up my wonderful creative mentor and aunt Kim. I told her I was afraid I might need to paint over the whole thing and go back to square one…  and she said “Don’t you dare!” :) Thankfully, she helped me work with colour to draw the layers together and create a more cohesive composition. I mostly blended just two colours for this whole project— Olive Leaf and Creme Brulee (and a touch of Sage), which helped to create a consistent colour palette.

After a few finishing details and a coat of Artisan’s matte protective coat, this funky, earthy, one-of-a-kind coffee table was ready to head back home in its refreshed state for many more years of use. I am so grateful for the invitation to learn more about the native grasses that grow and belong where I live in Meanjin. And for the invitation to spend time painting and tending to this perfectly imperfect kerbside canvas.