news-from-the-studio

Back from Europe

Mon, 05 Jul 2010 05:49:46 +0100

Well, having finally shook off that sleepy oddball jetlag, I am back in the saddle. Well, seated on the sofa is more like the truth, guiding my next venture from my trusty apple. I lurch from the depths of pointlessness to the heights of " it's worth scaling that next mountain", thoughts and so I put on my desert boots and head on up. I had a great adventure travelling around Europe, three countries in 10 days ain't recommended but someone had to do it. I caught up with old good friends which added all the necessary colour to a same same world sometimes. I went to Barcelona, Paris, Orleans, London, Dartmouth and back again. Looking for great art of course. I saw Lucien Freud at the Centre Pompidou, the lovely Mona Lisa (of course) sparks of genius in street artists and glimpsed through gallery windows that are annoyingly shut on Mondays, at sculptures and paintings that had me pawing at the glass. I took a painting that I had created to give my sister and her new to be husband, as a gift to celebrate their union. Entitled, "The Loving Journey" it is about taking that special person on your life's journey but at the same time remain connected to others as well.

Between the Lines

Fri, 14 May 2010 08:29:29 +0100

This is my latest work, entitled "Between the Lines" . A work I initially struggled with as I wanted to create a resonant background which would exist as an extension of the main idea and character. The image travels through three layers, from the bird which acts as a sentinal and expression of self belief and centered self, through the eye which is positioned at the place the head in shadow behind it would be "seeing" through, and then to the space that surrounds the head which is in a "soup" of space represented with colour and tone. The impetus for this work was a search for truth, hence between the lines. We are immersed in words, meanings, messages but what is true, has weight amongst all the floating debris of lies, half-truths, innuendo and false explainations. Who or what to believe. The response is yourself, be true to yourself and hence the bird, the soul is alert, awake, but peaceful and at one with the self. The painting beneath this work can be seen below.

Films I've seen at the cinema

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 07:07:00 +0100

I am including this list of films that I've seen since last year. I started keeping a list because I would actually forget sometimes what I've seen!! Shocking but true. I used to keep the list on my home page but now I think it is probably too confusing for my dear visitors. So it will be buried in the back blog for those who maybe also like watching films and would like to share what films they have seen and what they thought of them. Now what am i going to replace this with on the front page..

The Blind Side***
Mon 11 March

A Single Man****

The Hurt Locker***

Precious****
Tues 9 Feb

The Road***
Mon 1 Feb

It's Complicated***
Mon 18 Jan

Avatar****
Fri 15 Jan

Bright Star***
Tues 12 Jan

Sherlock Holmes****
Mon 23 Dec

A Serious Man***
Tues 24th Nov

2012 **
Tues 24th Nov

Moon***
Tues 20th Oct

Julie & Julia****
Tues 13th Oct

Up***
Tues 6th Oct

The September Issue****
Mon 14th Sept

Valentino_The Last Emperor**
Sat 12th Sept

District 9****
Tues 8th Sept

The Young Victoria ***
Tues 1st Sept

Beautiful Kate**
Tues 31st Aug

Public Enemies**
Tues 6th Aug

Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince*
Sat 18th July

Coco avant Chanel **
Tues 14th July

Samson and Delilah*****
Mon 18th May

The Boat that Rocked ***
Mon 11th May

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas****
Mon 4th May

Elegy ****
Tues 14th April

What I have loved ****
Wed 8th April

Easy Virtue ***
Mon 6th April

Women's Salon 2010: Place and Belonging Exhibition

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 10:28:33 +0100

A sense of place is an evolving process, which involves the passage of time, the revisiting of places and the developing of emotional relationships, through which meaningful stories are born.

The head is where our sense of place is constructed, where we get our bearings and where we create our associations which give that place its meaning.

My identity in relationship to the place is conveyed through the placement of the head within this environment, that is depicted as an abstracted, aerial map. The landscape is transformed from merely a space into a place, through multiple associations and connections which is depicted through the etching of my daily journeys.

A brand new year

Mon, 04 Jan 2010 01:37:19 +0100

A new year and with it new hope. Painting requires an alignment of the mind and heart, at least for me it does. I need to be able to step away from the pressures of expectation, self analysis and mind numbing chatter from the realm of criticism, and just remember that the source of the joy of painting only dares to come out of the shadow and into the light of being, when the voice of my critic is silenced. When the painting is in process, a different kind of critic can be welcomed into the studio, one that focuses entirely on the technique and content or "sound" of the work, not whether it is a valid piece. The last work, A Gentle Reminder was quite insightlful, for this very reason. I have not really dared to paint for a long time because the critic was a big, loud, obnoxious presence that smugly chastised my every initial intent to start a painting. Then I did, and what I created was a "picture" of what was going on and how I needed to respond to the split that was making the creating of any work impossible. That's what I love about painting. Just when I think its a foreign language, a voice cuts through and translates the secret that exists beneath the conscious mind, the controlling mind and reveals the power of the subconscious mind. It is here that I can find the metaphors, the visual connections that with lines, colour and form make sense of what is at the heart of so much searching.

A privilage to have worked alongside Emily

Fri, 01 Jan 2010 03:22:54 +0100

I had the great privilege to have worked at Dacou Gallery for the duration of the exhibition of Emily K Kngwarreye retrospective.

Here is a painting I did many years ago as a tribute and response to Emily Kngwarreye. Her work opened my heart and painters eye to a way of seeing that still to this day resonates with my approach to painting. More and more I find myself drawn to expressing my story and connection through the flattening of the plane and the placement of colour to create a resonance of feeling and tension on the canvas. I love her individuality, her resilience and her many varied hats. I hope to have the opportunity soon to work alongside some of our most innovative and inspirational desert artists.

"I am sorry" was included in the Ga:ar Murumba Exhibition, Brisbane QLD.

A Gentle Reminder

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 05:02:32 +0100

It is with some delight that i can add an entry to my blog and this time with an accompanying artwork. This work, "A Gentle Reminder" is interesting for me because I am integrating a couple of different or evolving techniques into a single work. The idea of ones heart and mind being separate at times of stress or anger or disappointment and to protect oneself, the walls go up and soon one loses that essential connection we need to function truly. When the head and heart are in sync or at least "talking" to each other. Then one needs a gentle reminder from that voice in ones head and maybe a small gesture to connect back to the heart, a step ladder that links them again. The surrounding landscape is bright but fragmented and the space within which the body/mind inhabits is unreal but evocative of a place. I enjoyed working on this piece, and I hope it will serve as a gentle reminder to me and anyone who resonates with the work, that it is important to stay connected to one's true self.

Art T-shirts for Sale

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:50:54 +0100

I just thought, why not?? A few of my images I would love to wear and with the hot weather finally here, wera your Art on your Sleeve.. So i have this one called "Leaving the Cave" and "Bored Bunny" and more on the way..

A Step across the Void

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:21:47 +0100

A new work which explores separation from the landscape and the risk we take in connecting with another soul to address that feeling of displacement. I have used a technique across the canvas that is definitely influenced by some of the most brilliant Aboriginal artists I have come across but the meaning and application of the technique is entirely my own. I have been utilizing aspects of this technique for a few years now and there are pieces such as Creative Though t and even Proud Friends where I introduced the layering of colour in this manner. Stay tuned to see the finished piece. As yet untitled.

CUSP

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 06:50:19 +0100

CUSP exhibition at Geelong Grammar was a great opportunity to experience the bringing together of an Idea across a range of ages, mediums and venues with the concept of positive thinking as its underlying platform.
Below is the work "A glass half full".

Working on "Red Moon" which I have developed from a painting entitled "Big Moon Little Moon". It used to be another work called "Keeper of the Golden Eggs".