Jill Sampson

Electric Fence
For years my family strip grazed lucerne on the creek flats of the farm. A single wire electric fence would be all that was needed to keep the cattle on a narrow strip of pasture. Each day the cattle would be moved to the next strip of grazing, held in check by these single wires. One twilight evening a pony I was riding took fright while I was mounting back into the saddle. She bolted through several of these single wire fences, pulling them astray, before she stopped. I was rattled, she had scrapes across her chest, but neither of us was badly hurt.

This work records the simple metal post and insulator that held the single wire. The wire is invisible except in certain light as it is embossed into the paper. This represents the almost invisible wires that my pony bolted through that twilight evening.

Blankets
This series of monotypes were inspired by the woollen blankets of my 70’s childhood. I grew up on a farm in a wooden, high stumped, high ceilinged Queenslander house that had been built in the 1930’s. When we moved there the house had barely changed since it had first been built, but was ageing. We have cold winters in this valley. These houses are very cold and the only heating then was the slow combustion cooking stove in the kitchen.  On winter nights we piled on the blankets. The blankets were strong and heavy, while richly and warmly coloured. Their weight and their warmth gave me a childhood security. I now use some of these blankets on my own children’s beds. When I look at these monotypes I am always back in my childhood with these old blankets.

Back Lanes is a homage to the back lanes of Sydney’s Inner West suburbs, where I was living at the time.

Tools of Torture explores the equipment used on the farm during my childhood and home visits in my adult life. My family farm always ran beef cattle. We mustered them with horses and I always helped with drafting and working the cattle in the yards. In Australia heated metal brands are used to mark ownership on the hides of cattle. A guillotine type tool is used to lop off horns, while a vice like tool can be used to castrate the young bull calves. Tags are punctured through the ears and the tag numbers were recorded alongside details about the cow, heifer or steer. These are the tools etched over these sunset landscapes. I loved the long days of mustering and cattle handling with my Father. We would start early morning, work through the day and sometimes into sunset. Often returning home after dark. Although I have never been comfortable with the use of these implements to mark and manage cattle.

This is the working life I grew up and participated in.

During my teenage years I began to take a bucket of water to the crush when we had to brand the cattle. With a cloth rag I would dowse the newly branded hide with water to try to help ease their pain.

2021 – I now own the family branding irons – they are registered in my name.  One day it will be my decision and work to brand, castrate, de-horn and ear tag any future cattle.

Above and Below is a metaphor for what we can see and what we can’t see as we move through life, making choices without a clear understanding of where they will lead. This work also links me to a place and a landscape that is dear to me. It is where I want to be and  beneath this ground is where I wish to end my days. While living in Sydney I always felt the pull and longing to be back home on the land.