Tell us a little about yourself!
My name is Amanda Hayman. I grew up in Logan City, Queensland. I am a proud Aboriginal woman and have cultural connections to Kalkadoon and Wakka Wakka Country. I now live in West End and work in South Brisbane.
I have always loved art. I have a Bachelor of Arts with a contemporary art major. I have always wanted to be an artist, but that hasn’t happened for me just yet. In the meantime, the next best thing is a career in the arts where I can be creative, work with artists and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to share important stories and culture.
My partner, Troy Casey, and I have been in business together for the last 4 years and we have a number of ventures; Blaklash – an agency specialising in First Nations art and design; Magpie Goose – a social enterprise fashion label; and Aboriginal Art Co – a not-for-profit Indigenous Art Centre in Brisbane. We also have a very spoilt 2-year-old boy – Charlie.
All this keeps us very busy and bursting with pride!
What drew you to purchasing Woven Landscapes by Elisa Jane Carmichael?
We love Elisa Jane Carmichael‘s artwork. We have been following her progress for many years. We are also very privileged to call Elisa (Leecee) a close friend.
I was drawn to Woven Landscapes #1 because of the movement of colour, the wave of blue that spirals toward the centre. The exposed synthetic ghost net material among the natural fibres creates a subtle circle in the vessel that could be a silvery contour of a sun or moon. And finally, I love the intricate details of carefully threaded fish scales that frame the work.
This piece reminds me of my childhood and my family. It’s like gazing through a looking glass, at a calming seascape, capturing the sand, sea and sky. The relationship between a new moon and high tide is a point of connection for me. This is a moment in time that has occurred since time immemorial and continues in definitive intervals. It is a time when I like to reflect on the past, present, and future. Repiticiously coiling out from the centre, it seems like the fibres could be documenting the evolving journey of hands on a clockface. There are many layers to Leecee’s work and it is easy to get lost in the beauty and be taken to another time and place.
Woven Landscapes #1 continues an important cultural practice of weaving, each loop strengthens her connection to her matrilineal line and her Country.
I am also really looking forward to Leecee’s next show Parallel Currents with another amazing artist Teho Ropeyarn.
We purchase art to make our home and office beautiful, stimulating and inviting. We also acknowledge the incredible way that art can contribute to conversations and education through storytelling. Most importantly, we are really passionate about supporting artists and giving back to the sector and community that we are a part of.
When did you realise that your artwork purchases had turned into an actual collection? Did anything change for you after this?
Troy and I don’t consciously buy art for the purpose of establishing a collection. We also have very different tastes so we often have to voice our connections and talk through our decisions. Interestingly, I hadn’t bought artwork from a male artist before I met Troy. We purchase art to make our home and office beautiful, stimulating and inviting. We also acknowledge the incredible way that art can contribute to conversations and education through storytelling. Most importantly, we are really passionate about supporting artists and giving back to the sector and community that we are a part of.
What things are important to you when buying a work of art for your collection?
We consider many factors when buying artwork; size, colour, price, provenance, the artist. We are very sporatic though, with no real method.
Perhaps when we get older and wiser we might have some deciding criteria and be more strategic but for now it’s the connection to the story that we always what we come back to. How it relates to us and how it makes us feel. Art can be an investment but for now we see it as a good company.