About My Art

From an early age I have been fascinated and aware of the Australian landscape- it’s images and relationship with those who inhabit and interact within it, both in the past and present. The impact on me, of the drama and moods of the Australian landscape, both from my home environment and from travels around Australia, is used to express aspects of this relationship.  My works are a collection of various images about a situation or a subject, which resonates within me. I usually gain inspiration from what I see in my everyday life. The iconography of the Australian landscape is a catalyst for many of my works, most images being from the immediate surroundings of my home, which are photographed and used in a variety of ways. Natural features of the environment and man made elements of the landscape are explored. Windmills, old fences, gates, the Freestone Creek and bushland around my home are photographed and sketched. Images of decaying or forgotten structures placed by man in the landscape hold a certain fascination for me. Photocopies, manipulating darks and lights, are done of these images to further enhance the mood or drama I feel, or wish to express. I enjoy creating textured surfaces by crumpling a variety of papers such as rice, tissue, litho, newsprint and rubbing crayons of different types or charcoal across the surface. Rubbings of actual surfaces are also taken. Sometimes these are then torn into fragments which reflect some aspect of the environment or a mood or feeling I have about a particular subject. The torn edge represent or mirrors surfaces or “lines ‘ in the environment, be it on rocks, trees or water. It also reflects the often conflicting relationship man has with this often harsh environment. These fragments are arranged and glued to a surface. Painting and drawing techniques are added. The work evolves and changes as it progresses to a final conclusion.

My works incorporate many mediums and techniques, which I am continually exploring. Pastel and charcoal are favourite mediums but printing techniques, dry point, etching, acrylic, watercolour, oil and crayon are all incorporated to create textured and layered surfaces which express aspects of the landscape and environmental issues which impact upon me.