I trained in drawing at Prahran College of Advanced Education, and believe that this is evident in my practice with an emphasis on the process of mark making and my aim to capture the essence of the subject, time and place.
In my third solo exhibition, Transition/Transformation I aim to interpret the landscape in a series of paintings and accompanying ceramic forms. These landscapes are reflections on places I have visited and frequently returned to, places of personal significance but also often historical and cultural importance.
Estuaries, lake edges and tidal shores in East Gippsland are explored through careful observation in situ, and documented through photographs and sketches. Sometimes these are more remote locations only accessible by boat. Back in the studio, this initial research becomes the inspiration for further interpretation and translation.
A recent trip to Bothwell, Tasmania resulted in new inspiration and a series of paintings. Following in the tradition of colonial artists in particular John Glover and Eugene Von Guerard, and more recently contemporary artists, who were inspired by the same vicinity, I have produced a series of riverbanks and escarpments of the Clyde River.
My artwork reveals the permanence and impermanence of nature as it changes over time, transitions and transforms. I have created pictures of transient moments; twisted tea trees collapse into water, a tree is submerged, water levels ebb and flow or inundate the shore, sunlight shimmers across the surface of the river, a duck swims by. Through these interpretations I hope to evoke an emotional response in the viewer.
I'd like to thank Ben Gurvich from Benzen Video Productions for collaborating on the soundscape in the exhibition, and special thanks to Nik Greig for the framing of my works.
The Escarpment Paintings
Whilst in Bothwell an opportunity was presented to enjoy a short excursion to the Clyde River, to view the falls. The famous Austrian born colonial artist Eugene Von Guerard {1774-1840} had painted there in 1877. We were told other contemporary artists had followed in his footsteps. 'Waterfall at the Clyde River' is a bucolic painting featuring two lone fisherman against the background of an immense waterfall, It is now in the collection of the Art Gallery of South Australia. Read more
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Embankment
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Escarpment
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Possession
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Revelation
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Lake Bunga and Bung Yarnda
Lake Bunga, East Gippsland continues to provide me with inspiration, after three years of return visits at different times. This is evident in the choice of colour palette and my attempts to capture the changing light and reflections on the surface of the lake.
A comparison between ' Estuary. High Tide' 2022 and more recent pictures, for example, 'Winter Afternoon', and 'Lakedge'. 2024, also bring attention to my interest in the twisted tea trees, as time and tides erode them, they have inevitably collapsed.
The tree forms fascinate me. In "Glimmer', the branches weave across my view of the lake giving glimpses of the far side. This title is also metaphorical as it refers to my wish of hope for the future of this unique place, which is of particular historical and cultural importance. Sadly, like the escarpment paintings, my depictions often bely the murderous violence of the past that occurred in this vicinity. 'Bung Yarnda' is the title of two paintings made from sketches 'en plein air'. It is the Gurnaikurnai nation's name for Lake Tyers originally established, in 1861, as a reserve to accommodate Aboriginal people who were forcibly removed from their homelands. Read More
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Receding Tide
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Bung Yarnda #1
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Bung Yarnda #2
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Estuary, High Tide
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Transformation
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Undergrowth
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Winter Afternoon
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Large Originals
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Merbein Morning
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Ebb & Flow
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Burnt Creek #1
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Burnt Creek #2
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Ceramic Forms
I have always been interested in Ceramics. I enjoy hand building and have made objects in the past. I lived in a share household at The Butterfactory in Euroa, Victoria which was set up initially as a working ceramic studio by artist friends. More recently in 2022, I attended a Big Pot workshop with Pie Bolton at The Kiln Room, and displayed two unglazed pieces in my first solo exhibition Marking Time. In 2023, I attended a Raku workshop organised by Jumping Creek Design in collaboration with Jack Latti Ceramics, and also a further term workshop at Slow Clay in Collingwood. I produced these pots during this time. They are simple forms, hand built with coils, and explore glazes and mark making complementing my interest in landscape painting.
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Blue and Green Fleck Pot
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Blue Fleck Medium Pot
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Double Green Narrow Pot
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Green Fleck Pot
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Natural Base Deep Blue Pot
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Small Natural Pot
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Small Ochre Fleck Pot
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Triangle Fleck Pot
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Wattle Pot #1
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Wattle Pot #2
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Yellow Fleck Pot
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Small Works
A number of small works also accompany the paintings and drawings in Transition/Transformation. They are often preliminary studies, for example 'Claim' and 'Jewel' are two small oils that preceded the escarpment paintings. 'Rise', and 'Hilltop', Eel Trap' and 'Fish Trap' all reference Lake Bunga and the latter preceded the painting 'Glimmer'. 'Weave ' provided the impetus for both Undergrowth' and ' Receding Tide'. Lastly 'Cliff' was the result of another workshop opportunity on this occasion, solar plate etching. This was a free program subsidised by Bayley Arts in Highett with the artists Lisa Seward and Trudy Rice.