Hattie Bidwell (she/her) is an Eora/Sydney based, emerging artist, currently specialising in the mediums of painting, drawing and screen printing. Inspired by simple moments of connection between people within her communities, Hattie’s work explores the indirect ways that human’s help each other cope through life’s ups and downs. Preparing and eating meals, lending hands for tiresome practical tasks, sharing stories or advice over cups of tea and wine. The ways we hold space for each other, to fill rooms with bellies full of laughter or unexplainable sadness. Since being in Ireland, Hattie has become particularly interested in storytelling as a means of coping. She has been spending time exploring the important role that stories have in connecting us to each other, our past and the landscape.

I Used to Fish for Trout in This River When I was a Boy is one of Hattie’s many works inspired by regular weekend visits to her Grandads’ throughout her stay in Ireland, where she has spent time, listening to his stories, going on walks with him through the bog, making blackcurrant jam, drinking endless cups of tea and watching the chase. Routinely stepping foot into his world, Hattie finds herself remembering the importance of these daily rituals, in the way they allow us to slow down, re-connect, lean on each other and cope.