Freya Jobbins

Freya Jobbins has found a potent muse in her black and white woodcuttings of emergency rescue workers. As a former member of the Australian Federal Police Force, Jobbins is intimately aware of the trauma that is part of the lives of those in emergency care work; to create her woodcuts she has used personal experience as her inspiration to present austere yet emotionally wrenching portraits. Yet these individuals are not glorified symbols; on the contrary, Jobbins is committed to creating true-to-life, intimate portraits of people who devote their lives to providing aid in emergency. Images of boots, helmets and other gear belonging to absent rescue workers speak volumes about the people who work in calamity on a daily basis. These stoic rescuers, surrounded at times with the slight flourish of a corona of delicate flame-like lines, provide hope amidst despair.

There is silent gratitude at the heart of Freya Jobbins's woodcuts, as she lovingly conveys a sense of the intense hope that exists in the midst of crisis.