Holding Ground

Suzi French

2 – 28 July, 2026

For Suzy French, landscape is more than scenery - it is a source of grounding, renewal and connection. Through paintings of forests, granite outcrops and aerial perspectives of Western Australia's South West, she explores the ways in which the natural world can offer calm and perspective in an increasingly complex world.

French's connection to place has been shaped by decades spent living and travelling throughout regional Western Australia. Her work reflects an enduring fascination with the patterns, textures and forms found in the landscape, from intimate details observed on the ground to expansive vistas seen from above. These perspectives reveal the interconnectedness of land, water and life, inviting viewers to consider their own relationship with the environments that surround them.

Created in oils and mixed media on aluminium composite panels, the works possess a distinctive luminosity. Layers of colour, texture and mark-making capture not only the physical character of forests, granite formations and waterways, but also the emotional resonance of place - those moments of wonder, stillness and belonging that nature can inspire.

At a time when many people seek respite from the pace of contemporary life, French's paintings offer spaces for reflection and renewal. They invite us to pause, look closely and reconnect with the restorative power of the natural world.

Suzy will be present and painting in the Bond Store exhibition space Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings each week of the exhibition between 10 and noon.

The Old Courthouse Complex is open daily from 10am – 4pm (except public holidays) I  Free entry