a commission to make an isographic illustration of a map for a fantasy playground at Bradbury Park, Chermside by Brisbane City Council.
I also did a sculpture commission of a Bronze Boobook Owl on a Book as part of the narrative and for children to discover as they explore the Magic Forest.
In addition to this, I created a new ‘Guardian of the Forest’ sculpture which was cast in bronze and mounted over the entry gate to the park.
about the Drawing to Dis/Possess project and the exhibition now up at Lorraine Pilgrim Gallery, Southport.
The exhibition is open for viewing by appointment with Lorraine Pilgrim Gallery, Southport. ph 07 5532 7170
On Saturday August 8th I will be having two sessions in conversation with Jodi Ferrari (Tweed Regional Gallery and Margaret Olley Art Centre) about my current project Drawing to Dis/Possess. NOTE!! these sessions postponed to future date due to COVID
At both of these sessions I will be drawing objects while we chat about the stories and value we place on things. There will be an exhibition of drawings, watercolours and oil paintings I have been making in recent times as I wrestle with my own consumption and collecting choices. We hope to reschedule these talks soon.
Drawing to Dis/Possess
An experiment into how I might be able to dis/possess myself of material belongings.
I am making drawings, sketches, and paintings of things I have, but no longer need, in the hope that through the act of making an ‘iconic transfer’ I can rid myself of possessions.
Alongside, must be the equally vital act of not seeking to possess any more things. So, I am making drawings, sketches, and paintings of objects I covet, stuff I’d love to acquire, things that are tempting me but maybe don’t really need to own.
How do I manage my own collecting habits and be more vigorously present in my enjoyment of the objects I own or wish to own?
Is the act of drawing them enough? Can I be content to have enjoyed them, spent time with them, observing their aesthetic or functional beauty or reveling in their nostalgic blast?
Can I draw to dis/possess?
in which I chat about what a sketchbook could mean to us at such a time as this and a demo of a fun drawing exercise to try.
Just before Covid 19 restrictions started to mean that life was changing and teaching was going to be different, I was delighted to spend 2 days a week for 4 weeks at St Margaret’s Anglican girls school with grades 7, 8, 9 and 10 students as we worked through a variety of art projects around their themes of ‘soaring’. I hope to return at some stage and see where their investigations took them.
My artwork ‘Redemption Series Echidna’ was selected as a finalist in the 2020 John Villiers Outback Art Prize. The artwork will be exhibited in the finalist exhibition between the dates of 6th March to 8th May 2020 at the Outback Regional Gallery located within the Waltzing Matilda Centre, Winton.
The gallery received a high number of entries from across Australia with 33 artists selected as finalists. Visiting guest judges were Henri Van Noordenberg and Lucy Culliton.
Sadly due to current circumstances this exhibition is closed.
Shark as Object was also selected as a finalist for the Muswellbrook Art Prize 2020.
This year they received 553 entries. After much deliberation by the selection panel 62 works were selected as finalists of the Prize. For the full list of finalists please visit the Muswellbrook Art Prize website.
This exhibition is also closed for now.
I’m very proud to be included in this current exhibition
http://onespacegallery.com.au/exhibition/shiver/
with this new work
Shark as Object 2019 watercolour 46 x 61 cm
This work has come about through my weekly visits to draw and document objects held at the Queensland Museum. A deep love and fascination of natural history and a long-standing practice within the genre of still life have collided to produce the perfect storm of subject matter and conceptual concerns. The ideas around the objectification of creatures has led to a d-evolution of the shark, from the valuable museum holotype skin of the Grey Nurse shark down to kitsch soap holders and shark suit–wearing Lego figurines. How do we feel about the various images of shark within our popular culture? From shiver to shudder, can it help our understanding and appreciation for the shark as an integral and important species? German mystic St Hildegard of Bingen said in the eleventh century “If we fall deeper and deeper in love with creation, we will respond to its endangerment with passion.” If this is the case, maybe even a plastic, grinning, dancing effigy of a shark can be redeemed.
Prints of this works are available through OneSpace either framed or unframed
Digital print on 308gsm 100% cotton paper, paper size 68cm x 48cm, Edition 20 (1-20 available),
| This is new work, currently in the Summer exhibition at Lorriane Pilgrim Gallery http://www.lorrainepilgrim.com/gallery/category/artists/summer-ex-2019/ and part of a series of works, investigating vulnerable creatures and the hope for a better future as we contemplate our responsibilities as custodians of this planet. |
