Marilyn Hutchinson is hoping to connect people with nature and their inner selves in her new solo exhibition, Heaven and Earth, at Humble House Gallery from Saturday 11 March.

Photographs and soft pastels of clouds and the natural environment inspire a sense of hope, joy, and an understanding of self. Hutchinson says it isn’t about a picture on a wall with a name underneath, rather, it is about someone taking away something, emotionally and psychologically.

Clouds are joyous, beautiful and inspire hope, according to Hutchinson, but they can also have a sinister meaning. They grow dark and restless before weather events with chaotic consequences like flooding and landslides, while elsewhere they are protecting the land and its people from harmful UV light rays that lead to shifts in the global climate through melting ice caps.

While in nature, she is often noticing patterns all around her, such as small twigs seemingly having their own language, and rocks in streams telling their own story. She says it is about understanding the connection between the sky, land, and water; nothing is in its own box – an event in one area will impact another, and all of them impact climate change.

Doing away with mats, frames and distractions, the photographs are printed directly onto acrylics with a backing applied. The artist believes this method allows clouds to float against the wall when hung.

Visit Marilyn Hutchinson’s Heaven and Earth at Humble House Gallery, Fyshwick, 11 March-9 April; humblehouse.com.au