Spring Break

Heather Chettle created this work during her rest breaks whilst living on a dairy farm near Shepparton in northern Victoria, Australia. She said: 'I was impressed by the contrast of the equipment and discarded “stuff” in our old dusty shed compared with the clarity of the world outside, including the sun piercing through the holes in the galvanised iron walls'. The title Spring Break refers to the crack in the glass and the Willy Wagtail bird 'breaking through' into the scene of old, dusty objects. Chettle says that while she painted this work, 'Mr Willy Wagtail came often to inspect what I was doing, alighting on the ledge of the broken window, so naturally he had to become part of the painting'. The painting won the Encouragement Award in the 1979 Maryborough Rotary Art Awards.