How Does one See a Year that Passes

It is indicative of the upside down, Topsy turvy nature of the year that has passed, that I never posted a post in all that time. It has been a year of existential wrestling that has visited my life in a variety of forms, everything has now disappeared and I am left alone and wondering, How did this happen? Why did I allow this to happen?  It was the end of the road, we all must come eventually to the end of our road, the one we chose to walk down all those eons ago. We start each new track with hope or fear, either one still requires we take a step and then another and then time passes and you've taken a thousand steps and your life unfolded and then woops! crossroads again. The last stretch of this road was a mountain, treacherous and unfamiliar terrain. At least towards the end the weather was good, it was sunny and the vista was beautiful. I never tire of opening my eyes and seeing the beauty around me now, but the road itself is still stony.
In my heart it feels like I  walk a tightrope, the thin strand I place one foot in front of the other is perhaps called hope, whilst on either side of me, in a space that stretches far away into the inky darkness of that which ultimately descends into nothingness, is fear. Fear is all around me and I take one quivering step, toes clenched around the strand that holds me upright, fighting the pull of gravity, towards a place that I want to believe exists. This place is a home, a studio, a solidity of sorts that I can return to and know this is where I can rest, create, propose and dare to roam from, because I can return at the end of the day's journey and be still and at peace.
But life is a paradox, for having stepped onto the tightrope, I saw things I had not seen before, experienced things I hadn't experienced before, learnt things about myself I didn't know and made connections with so many good people that I would never have met if I had never been vulnerable and curious. 
I have also learnt how to balance on a tightrope, unburdened myself from many possessions so I can take lighter and longer steps, learnt to love more openly and know more than ever, that this is my life, the journey is my life. 

Sanctuary, oil on canvas, 2014

The Collection is coming together

It has been a busy couple of weeks, which is nice. The paintings are coming along and some of them I am really pleased with.  I have just completed Comfortably Numb, a larger work that explores complacency. Not a very sexy subject, but the experience I had meeting Micha after so many years was such a bolt to my sense of comfort, that i had to address it. I have combined the vastness of the desert, a rabbit which represents my Chinese horoscope sign and vulnerability. The hammock evokes a feeling of comfort, relaxation, holiday in the sun. She is suspended in this place and looks in the mirror, and sees a reflection of herself as the wounded rabbit, her soul is pierced. However, i also feel that the airy and lightness of the painting provides the space for hope and openness.  

Comfortably Numb 2014

I went to a really enjoyable opening last Friday at Anna Pappas Gallery. The work was very post-modern, painting certainly is dead in this universe. So i had a beer and managed to strike up a conversation with some people who were anything but.  I met my first paint maker, and it was thrilling to actually have a conversation with someone about the loveliness of yellow. I do use alot of yellow, I feel it is so evocative, warm to cool and resonant. Yellow makes me happy and I am lucky enough as a painter to include it as much as I like in my surroundings.  I have just started a new work called, Living on the Edge, and it uses yellow to create the energy of the universe. Wow. i hope it comes across that way, it won't have a figure either which is an interesting development for me. The idea has a figure and the sketches too, but i think it makes sense without one which is preferably for impact and simplicity.

Living on the Edge _In Progress

The invites to the show, As Within, So Without will be going out soon so if you would like to receive one or more, please send me an email with your address and i will post it. Or just an e -invite if you prefer. 

Re imagining the city on a bicycle

On Saturday, I ventured into the city of Melbourne to join a group of cyclists as part of the Melbourne Now program. I met the group outside the NGV Federation Square and we set off to see the city from a different perspective. With Aaron Roberts an architect of Room 11, as our guide, he would stop at various buildings, or voids and even bridge structures, to speak of his vision. He spoke of how the city might utilise these spaces, consider other demographics and their needs, or challenge what our government generally considers belongs in an urban centre. The group of cyclists was such a lovely, friendly bunch, which made the experience so enjoyable. I am going to join another similar expedition next Saturday, exploring Melbourne on a bike. I think you should consider joining us too. Check out The Squeaky Wheel, they have lots of really interesting events around cycling. My shirt, called “What if I could change the world one revolution at a time..” was commented on and now resides in Twitter sphere.

Meanwhile I have been working on the painting, ‘The Thirsty Dove’. A challenging painting as it turns out. I have changed my original structure and tried to make it more dynamic and integrated. I am also trying different colours, so as to separate the image and avoid it from being too illustrative. Try and abstract it somewhat. 

The idea came about after I came across a newspaper article in Israel about a man whose dwelling had been deemed illegal by the authorities so his home was destroyed. The photograph shows him offering a thirsty dove water, his thoughts for the needs of the bird more than for his own difficulties. I was so struck by this and decided to use it as a metaphor for the current conflict over land. The dove is a symbol for peace and by placing a soldier and an ordinary man and a dove between them, both men offering the dove water as a way of uniting the commonality of us all. Our basic human needs, shelter and water.

Recently Discovered Richter

I stumbled upon a very interesting artist the other day and his approach and practice were very inspiring. Gerhard Richter was born in 1932 in Dresden, where he grew up under National Socialism and then lived under East German Communism. He eventually fled to West Germany and over his extensive working life as an artist traversed many different styles and content. He is now considered one the greatest living artists. So naturally, I was curious and was delighted to discover a documentary of him working in his studio. It was fascinating. One isn’t often given the access or privilege of seeing such an accomplished artist at work. I particularly was captivated by his personal philosophies, which he offered in occasional moments. He painted very large canvases, and he would randomly apply large areas of colour before taking an enormous squeegee, the length of the canvas and drag it across the surface, smearing the paint. So the work has independence about it. It relies on chance and choice. They are strong, timeless and almost transcendent. I was especially taken by his variety of styles and it was an endorsement for me, as I do have a number of approaches to my arts practice. I am trying to develop a clearer and more focused style, which is looser and more lyrical. One sentence he spoke particularly resonated with me,
“ …to talk about painting is not only difficult, but perhaps pointless too. You can only express in words what words are capable of expressing, what language can communicate, and painting has nothing to do with that.” (G.Richter, “Painting”, 2011)

Gerhard Richter, Painting

I was also recently interested in the artist Raffi Lavie, a highly influential Israeli artist, whose works are sparse, rough, almost childish and extremely minimalist. They seemed brave and challenging to me. I like the space he places his figures and objects in the picture frame and despite that I don’t particularly warm to the works, their essence did inspire me to reduce the content and structure that I feel exists in my own work.

  

Raffi Lavie, Untitled, 2004

 Saren Dobkins, My Wall Becomes Me, 2013

Preparing for my upcoming exhibition in March

Happy New Year !! Hope it was a great one and the year brings much joy.

Back from a brief trip up to Queensland over the Holiday season, its great to be back in the studio.  With my solo show coming up on March 26^th, its time to think about getting down and focusing on creating and collating the works.

The show will be divided into three sections, and as the gallery has three levels, it will be a perfect venue to guide the viewing of the work.

On the top level, there will be ‘Sexual Politics’. There will be around 7 works, oil on board and smaller in dimensions. As the works progress I will be posting images as they develop and my thoughts about the motivations behind my imagery. 

The middle level, may well have about 10 works. This section is called Head Space and will show a collection of some of my previous works around the Head, a symbol I use to express ideas around identity, the self in transition, desire and communication among other things.  Some of you may have seen these works before, but I hope you will enjoy seeing them again in a different environment alongside more recent works. In this way, you will see the development of my ideas and the journey I am on.

The ground floor will show about 12 works. I haven’t finalized the name of this collection, but closer to the time, I believe it will be clearer. These works are all new works, mostly inspired by a recent trip I took to a kibbutz in the Arava Desert in Southern Israel. I studied Permaculture and lived in an environment that was quite challenging yet wonderful. The experience brought many new feelings, thoughts and insights to mind and I have enjoyed translating and consolidating these into paintings. My approach to painting was both reinforced and shaken up. I am on a journey that embraces a more minimalist way of being, trying to lose the extraneous and focus on the core, the essential, the calm and the true. 

Over the next few weeks, I will be posting my progress and I hope you will join me in this journey. 

When I was in Brisbane, I was fortunate enough to come across a koala, making an early morning stroll to his tree. He/she was most unconcerned by my close presence, it was such a wonderful experience.  

 

ArtWork on ArtEdit

I have placed several artworks, 20 in all on a new website that promotes artists online.. Called ArtEdit, it is a recent addition to the booming, online artmarket that is probably competing on several levels with bricks and motar galleries. There is some level of trepidation though, does anyone ever visit one's site, look through the work with any real 'time' that the artwork often needs to fully appreciate the concept and work that went into creating them?  It is a Catch 22, we all get roped into when even a small part of one feels compelled to be part of the market. What if someone does swing by that actually gets inspired enough to pick up the phone and chat about the work they've just seen.. on the whole though, the phone stays strangely silent and no emails knock gently to bring a glimmer of hope that yet again, that decision to participate will pay off.

Too cynical??

www.artedit.com.au

Life Drawing on Sunday

The last few Sunday's I have been attending life drawing at the Abbotsford Convent. The casual, welcoming space and folks have been a welcome addition to my otherwise sparse life. It is challenging, getting back into the swing of things. I used to attend life drawing at ROAR above the BSG Gallery but that moved to a place that I found hard to get to. Drawing on a Sunday afternoon is much better, working with natural light, something to do when most Sunday afternoons feel strangely languid and misplaced.
I have been posting my preferred drawing on my facebook page but I'll put some here too, in case you're interested.

The Fisherman's Prize

It has been rather quiet on the western front to say the least. Well the painting is finished and is hanging in Chris' Bar so looking forward to some feedback. The locals just tell it as it is. I have been given some canvas and paints by a very fine person so I am poised to try some new approaches. I feel the work needs to be edgier and darker and this sweet picture of sharing and trusting could be unaccompanied for some time. It's not that I'm feeling particulaity darket or edgier but I need to want to go behind, into the underworld for a while and see what resides.

The Fisherman's Prize evolves

So I gave it some thought and I felt the green monster who in fact is really kind was too obscure and the image looked like something from a children's story, so I felt like trying another idea. So The Fisherman's Prize was started and here is a few process images.. so far I'm liking whats happening here but the end will tell.

The Kindness of Strangers

I was working on a painting, 'The Kindness of Strangers." How often have I been 'saved' by the kind and unexpected actions of strangers, who by their actions lift one out of a difficult situation and carry you to the safety of the shore so one can continue the journey. But is a big green sea monster too scary??

Swan Hill Art Show

It's a beautiful day here in Swan Hill, around four and a half hours drive from Melbourne which I managed a couple of days ago. On the banks of the Murray River and on the other side of the river bank lies New South Wales. I cross the border each day to return to my lovely temporary abode.  Under the wonderfully generously spirited offer of Leonie with whom I am staying, whilst I hold a small exhibition of 10 works at the vibrant Cafe/Gallery Jilarty. A lot of positive interest so far so if you happen to be in the vicinity please drop by, enjoy a great coffee, a superb gelato and see the artwork.

I was interviewed by the local paper, The Guardian, not quite the UK version but small steps and the article was very positive. Here's an excerpt..

Out of Reach

A quick preview of the latest painting Im working on called "Out of Reach". This was in response to wanting very much to stay living up in the tropics, hence the dog straining at the leash trying to get hold of a juicy mango. She lies in the shade, dreaming of the ocean and the heat.

Tethered

The time spent walking in solitary meander on the beach, alongside an everchanging and all encompassing environment was both calming and inspirational. I always kept my ears open for the cry of the hawk and upon sighting it was reminded yet again of my being bound to ground yet yearn for flight in all its reality and metaphor. I was surrounded by nature and it entered me and changed me and I relished it. I drew on a whim on the sand, so freeing and fun. And I painted this to show how I felt about the push and pull of it all. At once grounded, drawn to the earth and yet the tug of seeing the freedom that is just out of reach.

Rising Tide

I have spent the last few weeks by the ocean and have been kept constant company by the ebb and flow of the tides and it has comforted me. I am writing and reading and unfortunately not painting as much as I would like, but maybe it is the time to just write. This painting "Rising Tide' was completed before I left for Queensland. A luminous work that suggests the gilded cage, living as we do but feeling trapped just the same. This time the bird looks on at the man inside the cage and if he had wings he could fly out. A ladder awaits, there is a way out but the test is how to do this. We see his struggle, the wall is transparent but he does not see us. I haven't had much or any actually response on this work and welcome a comment if anyone so chooses to venture their opinion.

Rising Tide

oil on canvas 2012

Great Exhibition if I may say so myself

Well first of all I'd like to say a very hearty thank you to all the wonderful folk who came to the opening and it such a really enjoyable evening. The turn out was fabulous and the buzz amazing. I was caught out on the back foot a bit as I was down the back in the office talking to people who were interested in buying artwork and it took a long time before I was able to make my way into the gallery space and join in.  My special piece A Gentle Reminder went to a new home as did BirdBoy so I was very pleased that they were so appreciated. I had several smaller works that also went to new owners and the raffle painting Waiting was eagerly sought after too. With a lovely opening speech by Margi Gibb, the show was an overall success. I had a few people drop by over the following weekend and despite the dreadful weather and my sharp decline due to the flu it ended well too. So another solo show, over 30 works and in the top floor of an office building in an obscure street with no frontage to speak of. But worth the effort. Some pics of the night.

Step up to the plate she said

Ah yes, step up. Message to self. Fortunately i translated the thought into action and in the process created my latest piece, called ironically, Step Up. A bold, colourful and dramatic but essentially very simple and clear. I love the juxtaposition of the yellow and blue that create a resonance, with the head balanced and the strong graphic of the eye looking up to the ladder. 
It felt like a fitting image for the conclusion of the show so I'm pleased it worked out as well as it did. Love to know what you think or better yet, come along to the show and see it in the flesh, coz it looks much better in the real.

Listening to the Dreaming in the making

The Process of UnMaking and Making a Painting

I sometimes paint over a painting over several times before I arrive at the image I was trying to achieve. Often the original work looks so different like its final incarnation and I find the journey on retrospect quite interesting. With the iphone on hand I am more likely to record the process so now have the unfolding of the work as a visual record. The work that became "Listening to the Dreaming" was created from my journey into learning about Aboriginal culture and the power of art in sharing and expressing their knowledge and spiritual connection to land.

A Moment of Insight Exhibition Opening

A Moment of Insight is the name of my upcoming solo show which is opening on Sat 21st July.

The show will include around 30 works ranging from early paintings up to my most current. The show hope to describe the journey I have taken towards gaining greater insight into myself and how to express this through my work. From a political and activist position in the late 80's  to the more interior world where I explore what it means to gain a greater sense of self and identity. Also the gradual but determined shift towards a more minimalist and abstracted depiction of the human form to represent the self as opposed to the more literal and narrative work I used to do. There are sudden throwbacks, such as the work 'A Fair Exchange' which was the last work I completed. This work is in response to the recognition that we have to give back to Nature, as she so enduringly gives of herself to us in order to sustain our lives, so that the cycle can continue. I express this by showing a bird rescuing a person whose boat is sinking due to the rising seas, but in a fair exchange he returns clean water to the oceans so fish can be regenerated. So it seems when I am thinking about an external experience I create characters in a scene to depict the story, yet when exploring an internal awareness the form is more abstracted and stark such as in "Listening to the Dreaming.'

The show will be fun, opening from 5.30pm until 8.30pm, there will be refreshments and good company. Margy Gibb will open the exhibition and I am in the process of making a short film so there will be lots to see, hear and do.   Bring your friends and I look forward to seeing you.

You'll find it at the Gallery Space, Insight Building, 89 Wellington St, St Kilda VIC 3182 
Exhibition open:  Sat 21st July 5.30 -8.30pm
Sun 22nd, Sat 28th, Sun 29th July 11.00am - 5.00pm.

This is exciting, managing to add a video to my blog.. well what is this? As i paint I often revise the original work and often end up with a totally different image to what I started with. In this case I was motivated to paint a work in response to an essay I wrote around sustainability of remote Aboriginal communities that rely on the production of artwork as their main means of financial input. I thought about how through artwork, Aboriginal people have been able to communicate and transcend so many of the barriers to engage on a dynamic and equal footing with the larger Australian community, well at least the ones that look and buy their art. I have been very much inspired and moved by Aboriginal art and the final work that I arrived at is an acknowledgment of how this way of seeing and interpreting the world has been communicated to me and changed my perception. And this to me is what great art does, challenge and change ones perceptions. The lines that radiate behind the 'white' head are reminiscent of the artwork that some Aboriginal artists use and it gradually metamorphoses to represent the sound waves or energy waves that we understand is ho energy moves through space and into the cosmos.