Graham Bell

Local Contemporary Art Prize 2026 – Finalist

Image courtesy of the artist. Photo by Brooke Petro Photography.

Graham Bell | Black swans on Lake Doonella | 2024 | relief print on acetate with chine collé and collage | 136 x 96cm

The work shows Lake Doonella with Mt Cooroy in the background. Every time I cross the bridge to Tewantin from Noosaville in the winter months I see the black swans on Lake Doonella, which is an important bird habitat.

The work uses relief printing on acetate, where sections are cut away by hand and the film printed on the press. Chine Collé is used to give colour and texture to the cut away areas and atmosphere to the final product. This large work has been developed in three horizontal sections joined together using collage technique.

The work is essentially a monoprint as the film becomes fragile when inked up and printed. The Chine Collé and collage materials are botanical images taken in our garden. This is a successful technique for larger works when lino cutting seems tedious. The acetate film was obtained from Officeworks as offcuts from their laminating process.