I hurt my leg a few days ago so I haven’t been in the studio this week. Hopefully, next week, I’ll be back on track .
Recent paintings. Some are finished, others are paintings, still in progress.
Also, while resting my leg, I’ve been sorting through my many art journals. Below are some images from my art college journal in 1994. I noticed the colours I was using back then, are similar to what I’m working with now.
What did you do in your studio this week?
I am happy to announce I have been selected from 800 artists across Australia, to be part of BOAA-Biennale of Australian Art in 2018.
BOAA is a multi layered art festival with various opportunities for artistic engagement. My work will be part of the ‘Hit Me With Your Best Shot’ project, which will be BOAA’s largest installation. Supported by the City of Ballarat, this installation will form an impressive sea of images representing artists Australia wide and it will be displayed in Ballarat’s historic Mining Exchange building.
I started this blog back in the early 2000’s as a sort of diary, to document my work and creative life and to give something back to others.
Going through some of my old posts recently, I was able to pin point, some pivotal moments in my life, of where my ideas and artworks originally came from, why my work and arts practice has changed and how, it’s evolved over the years, to where it is today.
After visits to Europe, UK and an arts residency in Spain, in 2005, I especially noticed some changes in the way I was working. Though I have always worked between disciplines, painting was always my main form of expression. I was becoming more dissatisfied with just painting and found it hard to do any creative work for awhile. Then, after a 3 month stay in France 2007, I realized I could no longer, only use paint, to express my ideas.
This led to a series of experimental installations, videos and a book of photographs. Touched by Dada and Surrealist ideas, I had to re-access what I was doing as an artist.
The installation and video below “Parisgrit” was shown at Tilt Gallery, in Melbourne in 2006. I can see quite a few interesting elements in it, but it’s way too long and very noisy. Maybe someday, I will get around to re-working it and revamping it into something else.
By looking back over my old blog posts or (diary entries) I find it helpful, to reflect on the areas, where I can make improvements and expand on previous ideas. I can also see where, my ideas have come from. I get a glimpse of how & why, my artwork, techniques and materials have changed over time and maybe where I could be heading in my arts practice.
I just found out my painting “Wallmatter 17” has selected to be presented as a digital display at, The Biennial Project’s extravagant, event in Venice, Italy, during the opening/press week of The Venice Biennale 57. “La Biennale di Venezia”
Thank you The Biennial Project!
TITLE Wallmatter 17
MED Acrylic paint, lime, sand, cement, sealer on canvas. (Contemporary washed veneer wooden frame)
In the media we are bombarded with images relating to the massive global refugee problem. Links to the landscape, tracing the inhuman, nomadic chaos of the exiled, wandering the earth at this time in history. Each painting has been created, using acrylic paints and oil pigment on stretched canvas. Varies sizes.
Title – Deep Blue Walking
Title – Blue on Ochre on Cream
Title – Blue on Ochre on Grey
Title – Yellow Walking
Title – White Trail Walking
Still working on small textile collages.
I found an old army blanket from my childhood and couldn’t resist it’s raggedy worn, loveliness and further rusted it. Leaving it in the elements outside for a few weeks.
It can take ages moving pieces around to get the right composition.
then sometimes it just happens straight away.
Adding more marks…
The good thing about using a stretched canvas as a base, I can stitch right into it.
Just like using a embroidery hoop.
I am a visual artist who works with a range of mediums and my process varies.
I use which ever vehicle helps me to express my ideas. Each work informs the other and leads onto the next idea.
The collages I’m working on at the moment are a follow on from my hand sewn fabric pieces and with more experiments I can see 3d objects creeping in
The process of transformation. Time, change, erosion and decay are qualities I like to celebrate. I examine and explore, the properties and possibilities, of my material and want to push the boundaries of something to get a deeper understanding.
In my latest project, I’m working with textiles over a 100 years old. I want to work with the worn and deteriorated textiles and collaborate alongside those, who in the past, so carefully stitched, mended and created, the pieces for comfort and warmth.
Each piece was once, carefully hand -stitched and now, breaking down and worn. I have very selectivity pulled apart and unpicked areas, and kept some intact.
Some areas of fabric, are so badly worn it breaks in my hands, so I have to reinforce it. Most pieces though are just left in their original state.
I then, like to push the process further with, natural & rust dying methods, mark making, hand stitching and painting with caste iron, botanical paints.
Numerous times, I expose the materials to the elements to experience the changes.
Getting to the essence of my material helps me to translate and describe its being. I rarely know the outcome of my projects and just go with the flow.
Wanting to know how to rust – dye? Please see my free rust – dyeing tutorial
100 yr old cotton textile fragments, vintage found objects, oil pigments,vintage card, linen thread, linen cloth.
The pieces of cloth are extremely fragile so each piece
needs to be reinforced and sealed and stitched into very carefully
before being attached to book board.
Sometimes, when I’m stuck for ideas making artwork and it’s just not happening, I like to throw a heap of things together and arrange them near my work.
The items, may relate in colour, texture and type or be opposing which, I find much more exciting. Your brain will automatically try to come up with solutions. Expanding your ideas and creating new ones.
The flow on of ideas is sometimes amazing. It can lead to, resolving the artwork in front of you, as well as, give you ideas for a whole new body of work.
Juxtaposition and connections of items together seems to work for me.
I believe there is a creative force that is connected to everything we do.
