As I prepare to open my upcoming solo exhibition 'De Rerum Natura' at Gallery Lane Cove, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the ideas behind the work — to share with you not just what I’ve made, but why I made it.

This exhibition didn’t begin with a brushstroke — it began with a question.

A solo exhibition, for me, is more than a collection of new paintings. It’s an opportunity to stretch the boundaries of my practice and ask deeper questions about who I am, where I come from, and what I’m trying to say through my art.

The title of this body of work, 'De Rerum Natura' (On the Nature of Things), comes from a Roman poem by Lucretius written over 2,000 years ago. What captivated me most wasn’t just his early attempts at understanding science, but the poetic way he viewed the world — seeing atoms, feelings, and even chaos as parts of a beautifully interconnected system. His words reminded me of why I make art: to wonder, to question, and to try to glimpse the invisible forces that shape our lives.

If you’ve followed my work over the years, you’ll know I often return to the concept of the 'Palimpsest' — the idea that nothing is ever truly erased, and that meaning is built layer upon layer. That thread continues in this new series. I see each canvas as a surface holding memory, transformation, and traces of what came before — not unlike the human body, or the natural world.

Coming from a background in medical imaging, I’ve always been fascinated by what lies beneath the surface. When I painted these works, I began to look at the landscape and natural forms as if they were bodies — full of stories, fragility, and energy. I used pigment, thread, scraped textures and light to echo that way of seeing. Where I once used an ultrasound probe to seek meaning, now I use paint.

Ultrasound images are fluid, interpretive — they depend entirely on the operator. Much like memory. Much like the way we perceive nature. That fragility, that mutability, is something I try to capture in my process.

These works live in the in-between.

That space has defined much of my life: a doctor who can’t practice, an artist without a formal degree, an Australian who wasn’t born here, a Venezuelan whose Spanish falters. I’ve spent twenty years navigating that threshold, and my paintings often reflect that, not just as biography, but as a broader question about what it means to be human.

What holds us together?

What stories do we carry in our bodies, in the land?

And what beauty might we find when we look closely at the things we usually overlook?

'De Rerum Natura' is a deeply personal show, but it’s also an invitation: to pause, to wonder, and to feel more connected to what I call 'the matter of things' — the seen and unseen layers that make up our shared experience.

Thank you for being part of this journey. I hope to see you at the exhibition, which opens at Gallery Lane Cove on May 28th and runs until June 21st. The official opening night is on June 4th — I would be honoured to share that moment with you.

Big hug, 

Marisabel Gonzalez