FLAT farming plains in Ballarat disrupted by ancient volcanic activity have definitely sparked some ideas for Damon Kowarsky.
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His art can take decades. A scene he sketched in Yemen in 2005 was etched into print in 2021 and yet, heritage-listed home Buda in Castlemaine was a quick turnaround on deadline.
You can see the volcanoes of past visits to Tower Hill, near Warrnambool, and Mount Noorat in Terang, mixed in on show in Ballarat with his perspective on the world-renowned structures of Mont Saint-Michel and the luxury sprawls of Rajasthan city Udaipur.
Details, such as the old brown sign directing visitors to Ross Creek Pottery - now Ross Creek Gallery - carry a story for Kowarsky. He felt the sign alone signalled a long history with the surrounding community.
That connection of collaborating with other artists and sharing ideas closely with a community is what has drawn Kowarsky to showcase his work in the gallery. His exhibition is called Of Land and Sky and there is no Ballarat scenery yet, but this city has him thinking.
The Melbourne-based printmaker has residencies coming up in Guernsey and Serbia, along with a three-month stay in Slovakia on the Danube River. He felt an exhibition in the Ballarat region was important.
Like his wife and fellow printmaker, Hyunju Kim who had an exhibition at Ross Creek Gallery in February, Kowarsky finds "futile" inspirations in their travels. He just shares the stories he finds from a different perspective.
"Any time there is a landscape with buildings or people, there is a story," Kowarsky said.
"Every place has subtly different architecture, different materials and different environments, such as how prone you are to invaders...those structures remain long after the threat has passed.
"There is one in Montenegro, a stunning city, where the era for a fortified wall has long passed now. People visit because it is picturesque and they want to walk around. It has different meaning but still shares a story.
"...You never know what you're going to see. You can go to a place thinking you'll look for something you've seen on Google. Then you get there and walk the streets and turn a corner to find something unexpected that you would never know about, unless you're there."
Kowarsky and Hyunju, who grew up in South Korea, met in Egypt. Both are printmakers and work with the same materials, such as copper plates, and while they travel together, they have a totally different outlook on what they see and feel in a city.
Hyunju is influenced by the energies in meeting the people of a place, while Kowarsky is fascinated by the architecture, landscape and urban environment.
They visit Ballarat often, exploring the art galleries and botanical gardens.
They like the strong ties Ross Creek Gallery owner Ruby Pilven and her family has with the art and pottery community in the region.
Kowarsky hoped to one day return and share what stories he has found in the Ballarat landscape.
Of Land and Sky is showing at Ross Creek Gallery until March 17.
