r e d s p e c t r u m

Im back doing one of my favourite things.
Collecting colour.
And his time it's through the red spectrum -
which is not a place I usually gravitate toward.
But there is something alluring about it.

I love its intensity, its warmth, its resonance with nature.
For me red means Earth - the base and grounding of all things.
Its a beautiful colour to find in nature - from the changing of the leaves in the Autumn trees, to the rich ochre's that the Indigenous peoples use to paint and mark themselves and their artworks with.

There are a lot of books written about red - and its meaning within different cultures around the globe. From lust, love, celebration, marriage, religion and revolution.
It truly is a colour with many interpretations and resonances.

From now until February Ill be dreaming, playing and getting by hands dirty with red pigment for a new exhibition project that opens in early March.

This will be interesting....

Bridget Kennedy's  'Choice Mate - Site 5' beeswax,
pigment soil and found object installation
@ North Sydney Art Prize 2017

Autumn colours
Northbridge Sydney 

Beautiful Jewellery art piece from
Bulay (i), Buku Larrnggay Mulka Artists
with Indigenous Jewellery Project
@ Australian Design Centre Sydney 

Quiet moment on a very busy Burano Island
Venice 

mash up

The time spent playing, reworking and just 'plain-ol' looking at bits and pieces plastered up on the grubby white walls of my tiny studio counts as some of my favourite moments in the whole creative process.

I love re-imagining artworks and seeing new things, old things, abandoned things and commissioned things speak to each other - as they hang alongside each other like a 90s mix-tape mashup. It makes my head whirl and whip round like a spinning top, and I start to see new ideas take shape. 

When visitors come by the studio and they see an old work up on the wall, they often ask if im holding onto it ... for keeps. 

Usually the answer is that its on the wall to keep inspiring me, and pushing me to explore new directions. As once is gone - its gone - and I cant have another conversation with it! 

Strange as that may sound....

(foreground) Turning on the Fall 2016 - Acrylic  painting on wood.
In the background a mix media drawing on paper entitled
Quiver (among the stars) 2016

whirlwind

My white cube of a studio has been a busy place in the past 12 months.
Thinking, reworking, drawing, painting, weaving, teaching, meeting and incubating.
Cant ask for more really.

Instead of writing on this space Ive found that ive been writing tiny parcels of poetry in a diary that walks* with me each and every day.

Maybe the appeal is in the anonymity?
The search for quiet spaces to relax and reflect?
Maybe its the counter point to twitter, insta and all the other virtual places we pour our energy into?
mmmmm...

Anyway...
These three images are three moments throughout 2017.
More to come....

*when i say walk what I really mean is that is schleps around in my big and heavy bag each and everyday. The things we do....

Painting entitled 'The breeze moves through the seasons' 2017
It was exhibited in a group show at Sheffer Gallery in September with
the lovely work of Emily Besser and Mignon Steele

A series of drawings and a small blue painting entitled
'Coral Creek' 2017. All of these pieces minus the red drawing were exhibited
in the group show called solace - that was at Sheffer Gallery in September.