Bronwyn Bancroft, Colours of Australia, Little Hare Books/Hardie Grant Egmont, 1 Sept 2016, 24pp., $24.99 (hbk), ISBN: 9781742976914
Each opened double page of this richly designed book is a large, colourful pattern inspired by seasonal colours and indigenous art styles. Bronwyn Bancroft is a member of the Bundjalung Nation, a much lauded and impressively credentialed artist. Her use of circles, dots and spirals in these impressions of dawn, of Kimberley-like landscapes, grass plains and rainforests develop an Australian flavor, and an Australian sense of our wide-open and various landscapes. No cities here, no towns, no people, no industries, so it is perhaps a dream-time set of Australian colours we are given in the book.
This is a meditative, beautiful and loving book. It could easily inspire young artists to take up their own local colours to create their own reactions the primal and natural aspects of their world. The hand-drawn style of text is simple, unobtrusive, and poetic. Recommended for 2-7 year olds.
Reviewed by Kevin Brophy
