the light

This week I had the privilege of hosting the lovely John Mangila in my studio space to take some photos of me (oh joy!) and my work.

Its always interesting having people over to my second home - and hearing their reactions to my new work and seeing what initially catches their eye. 

John loves using soft natural light in his photography. He loves moody shadows and backgrounds that fade into inky indigo blues. So as soon as he saw me turn on the fluorescent studio lights he immediately asked for them to be turned off. 

And then I saw my work through the soft natural light that filters through the space - and observed every painting, drawing and weaving in a new light. 

How lovely to see things from a new and beautiful perspective...

h 0 v e r .   2 0 1 6

baseline or bottoms up.
you choose!

floating thoughts

Light. Floating. Transparent. 

Like the wind...

As I draw closer to my exhibition in September Im now starting to narrow in on the themes and thoughts that I would like to have running through this new collection of artworks. 

As you can see... one big theme is emerging.

That of the sky, wind, and the thoughts, dreams, words and emotions that transparently float through the air...

On Sunday I went to see a beautiful exhibition at S.H Ervin gallery on Observatory Hill in The Rocks. And as I left I went for a walk through the grass and just looked up. And the clouds were forming the most amazing patterns. 

I was transfixed. 

And felt like I could float anywhere.

What a lovely feeling that is....

Floating through the ether. 2015

hold.keep.cup 2016

floating world.2016

transparent parallels. 2016

artist - in - residence

Does anyone remember what their Christmas was like?

What about New Years? 

Or Australia Day?

2016 seems to have its high performance running shoes on - and be moving at warp speed. Every year has a momentum of its own. But this year feels different. Every day, every occasion, every catch-up seems to be blending into one another - to the point where there is no pause, no deep breath, no moments of reflection. 

That's exactly what I was experiencing this year UNTIL I went to Gunyah - in the Hunter region of NSW a couple of weeks ago - and took a deep breath.

The Gunyah artist-in-residence program, organised by Sydney based artist Kath Fries is like no other. It is part holiday retreat, part nature wildlife sanctuary, and part artist think tank. Artists' who are lucky enough to be awarded with a 12 day residency have the use of a lovely house on the waters edge of North Arm Cove, and a studio with views of the bush and water. So yes - it is a pretty special place. 

When I arrived I had a million ideas of what I wanted to achieve, and packed my car with a plethora of materials for any and every project. Paints, pencils, paper, canvases, wood panels, ink, oil pastels. But - as I quickly discovered - the property of Gunyah sets the rules and the pace. 

So I rested, reflected, swam, explored ... and THEN I started to work in the studio space. 

My work took on a lighter, more airy feel - inspired by where I was and how I was feeling. 

And I knew - twelve days was not going to be enough. 

What my time on this recent residency showed me was that I need to stop more, reflect more, and pay heed to what my surroundings are trying to communicate. The way the world slows down at Gunyah was such a treat to experience - like the way the clouds and water change in form and colour as dusk takes hold. That's how much I had slowed down by my last day on the property, I was watching the wind, clouds and water at dusk - while listening to the birds and Wallabies rustle around the trees surrounding the house!

Looking now at my completed artworks that I have just unpacked in my studio in Camperdown I can truly feel and see that quiet breath that I took on my residency, in a beautiful and inspiring place called Gunyah. And I hope I can carry this feeling through the rest of my year, and the artworks that are yet to come...

Triptych on wood. 

When one paintbrush just isnt enough!
Painting at the Gunyah studio.
photo credit: Tina Fox

The beautiful shoreline...

by the crescent moon 2016

reflections of outside looking into the studio, Gunyah 2016
photo credit: Tina Fox

atmospheric thoughts, 2016

Thank you to Kath Fries and all the organisers and custodians of The Gunyah artist residency at North Arm Cove. Thank you for this amazing opportunity to think, to reflect, to dream and experience the beautiful place on North Arm Cove. A big thank must also be given to Cath Derksema and Tina Fox for visiting and taking such lovely photos.

summer equation

A few weeks ago I realised the pattern that I was creating this summer.
And it goes something like this...

Sun = beach
Rain = studio

pretty simple equation.

A lovely one actually - which doesn't truly describe the start of 2016 for me.

But when I think back to some of my favourite moments from the the past few weeks I can kinda put them into these two camps.

hazy days by the beach 

one of my favourite local walks.
Its my hideaway...

Can you see the whale? 

APT8 arrives in Brisbane

As you can see from this amazing image by Australian artist Danie Mellor (above) Ive been out and about seeing some beautiful work over the weekend in Brisbane - as the 8th Asia Pacific Triennial has just opened. The Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) and the Queensland Art Gallery (QAG) have been taken over by some amazing contemporary artists. And believe me - two days was just enough! 

The APT is such a brilliant and unique exhibition and The Queensland Arts has to be commended for their brave move to continue investing in this initiative to find, cultivate, support, and acquire artworks from countries such as Myanmar, Cambodia, Kazakhstan, Thailand, Mongolia, New Caledonia and every country in between. The collection of works they present is always interesting, diverse and completely thought provoking. 

Ive just been to Venice to see the Biennale this year and I swear I saw more eclectic and engaging work in Brisbane with this Triennial than I did in Italy. The work this time focused on some key areas such as kinetic energy, issues of personal identity, the environment, displacement and globalisation. 

The one phrase I wrote down when I entered the foyer space at GOMA this year was....

'Public space + collective experience' 

and I think that's what all the works were really about. 

Protest, sharing of information, and a want of acceptance and acknowledgement of our histories - both past and present. 

Great show.

I didnt take many pics but here are a few that made it onto my phone.

Massive mural charcoal drawing by Indian artist Prabhakar Pachpute in the GOMA foyer
created in a couple of days before the exhibition opened

Min Thein Sungs amazing sculptural installation at GOMA.
He is from Myanmar and this work was all about the oppression in his country
and how people made their own toys using everyday materials

Mural drawing in the Queensland Art Gallery by an Indian artist

This amazing multimedia installation by Nicolas Mole (Kanak Peoples/New Caledonia)
was one of my favourite artworks.
It was made in collaboration with artists and performers from New Caledonia

My mate Amelia taking photos of the massive installation of 1000 Venetian blinds
that was in the Queensland art gallery waterfall foyer
by artist Haegue Yang (South Korea)

It was hard to take pics of these stunning photos by Taloi Havini + Stuart Miller
that represent the Hako people and the environmental concerns of  Bougainville.
I loved this series of works...

Amazing SaVage K'lub created by New Zealand artist Rosanna Raymond

A couple of pics of the HUGE installation of paintings, sculptures, drawings and everything else in between ...
by three artists - Ramin Haerizadeh (Iran/UAE), Rokni Haerizadeh (Iran/UEA), Hesam Rahmanian (USA,UEA)
The whole thing was mad, absurd, DADA and funny...

Beautiful work by Joe Ngallametta in QAG.
It wasnt a part of the Triennial but I loved it anyway

Three galleries in three months and three times ive found the work of Vincent Namadjira exhibited!
This man's work is going to be huge! 

Had to finish with this colouring in table at QAG
Amelia and I spent a little while here creating patterns with the other kids and parents at the gallery
The program is events of kids at the Asia Pacific Triennial is always brilliant! 

o n e

One moment.
One colour that dominants the November sky.
One image to remember the month.
One story to reintroduce myself back to this tiny blog.

Its been a while...
x

pastel sky

After Rome. After Venice. After the craziness of the Biennale... it was time for a break. 

It was time for a tiny trip to the beach. 

So I packed my bags and jumped on a couple of trains down the East coast of Italy to a place called Porto San Giorgio. 

And within a few hours I had fallin in love - with the place, the people and the light. 

This area of Italy is not on many tourist itineraries, so many people dont speak English. But they dont have to as its a vacation spot for Italians - and very smart people that have been tipped off about this place. 

It kinda felt like a beach town from the 1950s - with beach clubs up and down the coast and everyone riding bikes and sitting on deck chairs. But then at night the town turned into one big nightclub with amazing DJs playing on cabana rooftops. So it had something for everyone.

I was actually there for a wedding. 

And after a few days of sunshine, and one big night celebrating with friends and family I was refreshed and ready for my next destination. 

But wished I had been able to stay alittle longer in the pick glow of this beautiful town by the Adriatic sea. 

But Greece was calling...

Dusk. 

Fish! Fresh Fish!

getting ready for the night to begin...

The beautiful beach... in the pick glow of dusk.

b u r a n o

Island Life. Burano. Italy

Its sunny, its Monday, and it feel like the perfect time to celebrate the start of Spring with some colour... 

Actually... LOTS of colour. 

Over the years Ive been lucky enough to travel to Venice a few times. 

So on this years trip to Europe I knew I wanted to see the Biennale but I also wanted to experience some unfamiliar parts of the city. 

And that's not a hard thing to do as Venice is incredibly complex and diverse city - with over a hundred islands on the lagoon, each with its own unique character. 

So besides seeing a million exhibitions for the Venice Biennale, I took a few vaporetti rides out onto the lagoon to explore. And my favourite trip, by FAR, was my day on the island of Burano.

I felt like I was home. 

The colours, the textures, the slower pace to life, the friendly locals, the history and the craftsmanship of the lace-makers who live on the island. 

It all made for an amazing experience. 

I just hope my images do the place justice?! 

Perfection.

abandoned but beautiful.

Every window box was immaculate and lovely