Thank you to the City of Melbourne for funding me with a Covid 19 Quick Response Grant. In amongst the delirium of isolation I have been busy creating a video which will premiere online with an accompanying artists talk in mind-June. Please stay posted as anyone in the world will be able to attend this online event.

I warmly welcome you to my upcoming exhibition

I have arrived at the seventh art, cinema, a new space where distinct elements can be combined: sound, motion, image, potentially virtual reality.
 
For the last few months I have been collaborating with Cian Holt on The Treasure Hunt, an exploratory work exploring the cultural impact of mining in Western Australia. This is my first experience at making a truly collaborative work and our first attempt at a film.

The Three Great Gods in the Sky (2017)

There seems to be a strong focus amongst Perth artists on landscape and place, something natural given the problematic colonial history and the uncomfortable feeling that Perth is, or at least until recently has been, a culturally uninteresting, socially conservative place and certainly not a place where art is appreciated, and so it is best to move to Melbourne. There have been a string of mining booms throughout Western Australia’s history which have been influential on the local culture, both directly and indirectly making us who we are today

As the figure depicted above looks out over the marshes, up at the Three Great Gods in the Sky, is she questioning the future, asking for guidance? are the gold objects in the basket an offering or have they been stolen? Is it a guilty glance towards the looming gods, or an act of defiance? Why the cape? Is this our hero or is it our villain?

Below is a short film I made on the sheer terror of existence. Make sure you turn up the volume.

Macica (2017) 10cm x 17 cm, Raku-fired Ceramic

Below are some photos from the Raku-firing process, which is a technique of placing glazed ceramics in a kiln for a relatively short period (approximately 1.5 hours) and then throwing them mercilessly into sawdust, which creates interesting patterns and textures.

Un Buen Augurio ( A Good Omen)

I am taking great delight in my ceramics course and creating some 3-dimensional archetypes with clay. The “Good Omen” heralds the birth of a new artistic direction and the coming of Easter.

The above images show porcelain ceramics which are drying prior to the initial bisque firing (1000 degrees) after which they will be glazed and then again fired to stoneware quality (1360 degrees). The archetypal individuals have been placed in archetypal arrangements: “the archetypal philosophy circle” and “the archetypal power struggle”.

Exciting things ahead this semester, including Lithography and Ceramics

Happy Chinese New Year. After a year of mischief from the monkey, the time has come for good fortune and prosperity in the form of a Rooster.

Happy Chinese New Year 2017 25 x 21 cm, Pen Pencil and Gouache on Paper

Pen and Gouache on paper 21 x 25 cm

Matilda Bay, Perth, Western Australia (2015) Acrylic on Canvas 120cm x 90cm

I have been chosen as a finalist for the Town of Claremont Art Awards. Exhibition Dates: 20 August – 28 August 2016 in the Claremont Quarter, top floor

I will be trying to make a profit from my art, by selling it, at the Beaufort Street Festival, this 14 November 2015 in Perth. Similar endeavours have been undertaken by countless artists over the centuries and in most cases lead to failure (to make any money). Despite the unlikelihood of a profitable day, I am using this as an occasion to work on some smaller drawings and show them off on the day.

Below is my little drawing triptych “think good thoughts” inspired by the Zoroastrian creed “think good thoughts, speak good words, do good deeds”….

Think good thoughts