Bridgetown artist illustrates new book ‘Secrets of the Saltmarsh’

Bridgetown artist Alicia Rogerson has completed illustrating a new book that explores the world of saltmarshes and the creatures that live within them, with the book expected to reach shelves in November. Secrets of the Saltmarsh was written by Claire Saxby and features Ms Rogerson’s art, using big watercolour paintings on paper which were digitally transferred and edited to give child readers a fascinating look into the wildlife, animals and environments in the saltmarshes. Ms Rogerson said she had no prior knowledge about saltmarshes and had visited several all over WA to help her research and the artistic process in illustrating the book. “So, as part of the research phase, I contacted the CSIRO and a team of scientists and got a summary of types of things that live in the saltmarshes to investigate further,” she said. “I had to do a few animal cycles of life and learn a lot about crabs, mangrove trees and roots and other wildlife.” She said the more she researched, the easier it became to be inspired and create ideas when it was time to illustrate, and she noted the beauty within the marshes. “When you visit saltmarshes, they stink but they are really pretty. “They thrive on different plants breaking down, and the bugs and everything in the marshes are as important as the birds and other animals.” She noted the process of planning and illustrating the book was quicker than her usual projects, with her first illustrated work published in 2021 and painting every day during a school holiday period to complete the recent work. “A normal book is one to two years, but for this book I was contacted at the end of last year and then had my baby, which delayed the book. “I sat down in the school holidays, over two weeks, and said ‘I’m going to finish this book’.” She also said to avoid burn-out and creative block during the project, she focused on the creative process, rather than meeting deadlines and made sure her days as a painter were different. “I space out all of my projects and when I have big ones — I had a mural and then the book straight after — I have a break after that, not to stop creating but to not have pressure to meet deadlines,” she said. “I just flip between things, whether it’s painting on canvas, on paper or digitally, I don’t set myself up for two days being the same and I do what I’m just in the mood for.” Alicia’s art practice, which uses natural subjects, was affected by her move to Bridgetown seven years ago. “I moved down here seven years ago from Perth and I studied fine art at university, but it was conceptual and more ‘throw water on the floor’ kind of art, so there was not any encouragement to paint or make representational art,” she said. “I used to focus on doing portraits, but since moving down here, I’ve preferred to paint nature.” She noted the connection artists and art enthusiasts in the South West had with nature and nature-based art, noting a desire for something more “homely”, as well as current issues surrounding nature. “I find it easy and calming and it’s really popular, with climate change and the awareness of nature around us.” She says there are more projects in the pipeline, including new paintings that will be hanging at LOFT Handmade Boutique in Bridgetown in September. “I have lots in the works, but I’m waiting for people to come back and confirm that they are happening, so hopefully a lot of murals over the summer. “Books however, I’d be looking at projects that won’t be coming out until 2026 or 2027, if I was to sign any contracts now, due to the long lead times.”