Artist Statement

 

The inspiration for my paintings comes from the beautiful bushland I walk through every day with my dog. My home farm backs on to the Blackwood River and as far as the eye can see, I am surrounded by an ever changing vista of Australian native fauna and flora.

Each day I walk the lands of the traditional  Wadandi and Pibelman people and cannot help but be inspired by the various shades of green in the leaves of the Eucalyptus tree, their gnarly grey orange bark and when in flower, the fluffy bursts of white, bright red, vibrant orange, deep pink and lime green. The Eucalyptus tree is ever quick to remind you of it’s presence if overlooked.

As I continue to walk, I catch glimpses of brown Kangaroo’s and their young lying amongst these bushlands, hundreds of grey rabbits with bright white fluffy tails frantically going about their business. I look up and see black cockatoo’s flying overhead with their splendid red or yellow tails, calling out to each other in what sounds like a mournful wail.

My paintings are inspired by this natural world of beauty that I am lucky enough to call my home. The colours I see and the sounds I hear and the feelings of peace, timelessness and wonderment and that I am never alone.  

The process I use to begin each piece, is by tearing up old and damaged book papers that I have sourced often from thrift shops or have been gifted by friends and family. It gives me time to think about and plan my colours and composition. The painting process for me is entirely immersive, quiet, meditative. Much like my walks through the bush where I live.

I use a variety of stencils, stamping, scribbling with pen or pencil, spray paint, dotting, moulding paste, crackle paste and the list goes on! All of which create a visually and tactilely exquisite finished piece.

There are times when I am staring at a painting for long periods. I often will call that my “having a conversation with my painting time”.

Since early 2023, I have been working on a new body of works which has been inspired by the Japanese art form of pressing flowers or Oshibana. The complexity of these paintings is in the modern integration of various textures and techniques, giving new life to this ancient art form.