Concepts of identity, family, memory and place have always informed my art practice. A person’s identity can be traced by a series of fragmented images. These still images are what combine to create a story board of someone’s existence. As an artist I like to explore those visual flashbacks; those frozen memories that become imprinted in our mind and define who we are, where we belong and what makes us unique.
Still Life
Reflections and Nostalgia are two reoccurring themes I am drawn to.
Reflections in natural and urban environments visually distort the picture plane and influence the way you see. The reflected surface creates a pattern of fragmented shapes and colours abstracting the image making it more difficult to interpret. As a result, the negative space challenges the subject and informs the composition.As an artist I am fascinated with the colours, shapes and patterns that blur the line between what is real and concrete, to what is not.
Nostalgia is a form of reflective thought. Remembering moments, places and people are parts of our identity.
Figurative and Portraits
My work, also explores figures in a space. The space maybe a private space, narrative space, theatrical space or abstract space depending on the mood or narrative unfolding. Dramatic lighting, shadows, repetition and the use of cropping a composition creates an interesting tension that informs an emotion, atmosphere or story board of events.
1940's Musical Stills
Drawing upon memories and nostalgia, this work explores old black and white imagery taken from movie stills. Many hours were wiled away on a rainy day watching Hollywood musicals or whilst being confined by a childhood illness. These memories evoke feelings of comfort, magical splendour and romanticism; a way of escaping the present.
Landscapes
Elements of design are simplified and exaggerated in landscape imagery. I am drawn to the contrasting colours and patterns existing in the world around us; from golden canola fields intermingled with the vibrant hues of Patterson’s Curse to the stark beauty of the Kosciusko National Park dotted with the reds and greens of linear snow gums. Clouds with moody shadows, the sun enhancing golden hues and manmade infrastructure, delineating the picture plane creates patterns of contrast that emphasise the delicate balance between nature and its inhabitants.
Drawings
