In painting "Bruised Ego" I wanted to explore being in a vulnerable place. Part of the difficulty of actually placing ones work in the public domain where criticism is rife and actively encouraged, is that one's self is laid bare. It is a double edged sword. Be seen and be vulnerable or if all goes well, appreciated, but let's be frank here.. mostly its criticism. I know, I do it too. If one keeps the work and self tucked away in the security of the shadowy studio, well one can kid oneself that the work is fine, there is no growth and lose out on the exciting aspect of being open to that growth in others. So one has to participate too. This work is bold, yellow or greenish, (is that envy or fear creeping in?) the one eye open in alarm, the bruised mouth the result of having spoken and the words rebuked. I wish i was tougher but that i am not. The head is large, suggesting the ego is evident. The simplicity and abstract nature of the head is to suggest a universal side to this work, not one particular person is hurt, but all of us at some time. The background is part of an ongoing story that started with the painting, "Where I Live" and was changed and textured to suggest the flickering and unspecified sense of place that this character inhabits. It isn't finished yet, but here's a preview just to share...

It's almost done. I have so many images showing the progression of the painting, I think it would make an interesting "movie", but probably only to me. But my call to the outside world to join in my art conversation is falling on deaf ears. Is this a diary or a blog.. I went to an opening on Tuesday, to Dacou to see work by a fabulous painter Molly Pwerle. I particularly liked one, a dark brooding picture. Not what I expected as I usually respond to brighter colours. Anyway, I have been looking at Clearing the Mind and thought it needed the addition of lines to break up the plane that the head was enclosed in. It was creating a claustrophobic space so this is a possible solution. Keep you posted.. Meanwhile I have made a few changes to the website, hoping to make it more streamlined and easier to use.

It's a rainy day on Melbourne today... looks like I woke up in some northern winter outpost in Scandinavia. But on the bright side, I feel that the painting, 'Clearing the Mind' is complete. It is still quite confronting by its starkness but the colours are very warm and the head is serene. The ladder which comprises of green marks is to suggest the intransigent nature of the character that serves you when you are letting go. If it had been solid the concept of imagination would have been cancelled. The shadow is so light it doesn't require a solid form to ascend. The blue form on the side is a container for the head, but is reflective and supportive. Having the edges of his universe in such bold, warm, hues of reds, pinks and yellows evokes energy and revitalization. The glow in his head where the shadow has polished and cleared away the accumulated rubbish has a red bucket dangling from the ladder to hold the residue.

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. #Vacation #AGentleReminder

In painting "Bruised Ego" I wanted to explore being in a vulnerable place. Part of the difficulty of actually placing ones work in the public domain where criticism is rife and actively encouraged, is that one's self is laid bare. It is a double edged sword. Be seen and be vulnerable or if all goes well, appreciated, but let's be frank here.. mostly its criticism. I know, I do it too. If one keeps the work and self tucked away in the security of the shadowy studio, well one can kid oneself that the work is fine, there is no growth and lose out on the exciting aspect of being open to that growth in others. So one has to participate too. This work is bold, yellow or greenish, (is that envy or fear creeping in?) the one eye open in alarm, the bruised mouth the result of having spoken and the words rebuked. I wish i was tougher but that i am not. The head is large, suggesting the ego is evident. The simplicity and abstract nature of the head is to suggest a universal side to this work, not one particular person is hurt, but all of us at some time. The background is part of an ongoing story that started with the painting, "Where I Live" and was changed and textured to suggest the flickering and unspecified sense of place that this character inhabits. It isn't finished yet, but here's a preview just to share...

This rather expansive piece of canvas will have to be painted on the ground which will pose some challenges, the main one being maintaining a correct perspective that will look right when it is hung vertically, and viewed from a distance. I have put down the beginnings of an idea which is following through the idea I had after watching the strife and desperation of people who are mostly concerned with rescuing their loved ones from the deluge. The search for personal possessions and memories comes after as people shift through the sodden debris, hopeful but resigned. The person thrusting the child into the air whilst they are drowning is how we instinctively we save our children. Especially the case of the boy who insisted the rescuers take his younger brother before him and he tragically drowned. The man in the boat represents the search for lost memories and symbols of belongings beneath the water. The challenge of course is to create a piece that expresses the enormity of the event but also describes how personally everyone was affected.

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.

Well folks, this is a good time to be reading this. I have totally revamped my website, hopefully making it much more accessible. I was in the United States for a couple of weeks and it was very stimulating and motivated me to return and get right back into work. I had a few comments about the website so decided to act on their advice. Let me know. So where did I go? I landed in Los Angeles and visited a wonderful collection of galleries at a place called Bergamot Station Arts Center in Santa Monica. My favourite artist there was Curtis Ripley showing at the William Turner Gallery. Then we drove to Las Vegas and stayed in that crazy place for about 7 days. I saw a few interesting places and many curious things too. Wait for the pics... Then to New York for a week where I walked till I dropped. I was so fortunate to meet up with my lovely relatives and we spent the day at the MET. I spent time in SOHO and Chelsea but strangely enough having spent time at the Frick Gallery I couldn't get as much from the contemporary works on offer. I enjoyed just exploring the city, meeting people, taking photos and just being in a vibrant, happening place. I could stay a few more weeks. Trained to Boston and went to Salem as it happened on Halloween Day which is not recommend if you actually want to stop, park and walk around. Masses of people in fancy costumes, looked like a crazy vibe. Back to Melbourne, took over 36 hours but my A380 worked so no worries. Keep the comments coming and who knows, this might turn out to be the turning point.

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 insightful, 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.

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.

Women's Salon 2010: Place and Belonging Exhibition 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.

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.