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.

LIVE LOVE LIFE Exhibition Opening

Fortunately I am involved in an upcoming exhibition, LIVE LOVE LIFE which is being put on by the Ovarian Cancer Australia as a fundraising event. Myself and a few other artists are showing our work with the connecting colour of 'teal' running through all the works. So this will be interesting to see how this will come together. I am entering The Four Elements of the Domestic. If you would like to come along and support a really good cause, it'll be great to see you.

Where is it ?  Box Hill Community Art Centre, 470 Station St Box Hill.

When is it?  Thursday 7 June 2012. Time. 7.00 - 9.00pm

The Four Elements of the Domestic
oil on canvas