Dee Smart: Razors Edge

A painting expedition to Coffin Bay on the Eyre Peninsula introduced artist Dee Smart to the rich ecological history of this remarkable place. A keen observer of the natural world, she was fascinated by the intricate process through which damaged environments recover and renew themselves. Turning her attention to the often-overlooked details of both landscape and shoreline, she became transfixed by the Razor fish.

She notes, “The Razor fish is the most unusual of creatures—it provides a platform for its own mini ecosystem to flourish; Mother Nature has provided a life raft for the annihilated native oysters’ ecosystem to regenerate, along with other sea life—mussel, octopus, seaweeds. It is the most beautiful example of symbiosis in nature that I have seen.”

With lyrical, delicate lines, and a joyous aesthetic sensitivity, Smart delivers an amalgam of observations, memories, and impressions gathered through total immersion. In Razors Edge, she reveals the richness of a world beneath the surface that often escapes casual notice and reminds us what it means to be truly present: to attend to the physical world in all its complexity, beauty and fragility.