“Take a Closer Look”: An Editorial Prelude

This September, the serene Rainforest Discovery Centre at Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve, Maleny, on the Sunshine Coast Hinterland, will host “Take a Closer Look,” a compelling mixed-media exhibition by two award-winning artists: Leisa Gunton of Booloumba Arts and Fuschia Darling of Fuschia by Nature (ACI member).

Celebrating Nature Through Two Mindful Lenses

At a glance, the exhibition seems to offer a conversation between two complementary creative worlds:

• Leisa Gunton’s ceramics evoke organic textures and forms—earthy tones, tactile surfaces, and an almost geological sensitivity—each piece rooted in the subtropical rainforest she inhabits.
• Fuschia Darling’s photographic art turns the lens toward the minutiae of natural beauty: macro reflections, hidden geometries, fractal patterns, and vivid abstractions that invite us to perceive the natural world with renewed wonder.

Together, their work invites viewers to shift attention—and let the nuances of the natural world speak.