Studio Work ABOUT my art & others

Early Summer i went on a #getaway to Boat Harbour - spent 3 days there soaking up the sun, isolation and beach.  A nice visit from V and lunch at the restaurant was a highlight.  I treat all my #getaways as a 'residency' and go on long walks, photography and do drawings, writing and reading. the drawings en plein air shown in the earlier blog post led to these two little books. fine art photography of my time at Boat Harbour can be found  here a short video of a beach walk at Boat Harbour #Tasmania

This was my second trip to Boat Harbour , an idyllic spot to regenerate and fill up my cup again. It is also a time to mark yet another birthday and take the opportunity to go on another #getaway for a few days. Vince came to visit which is unsual as he needs to be dragged away from home and his business.  We spent a lovely day of beach walks, lunch right on the beachfront and the afternoon was spent watching US elections for Trump take the Whitehouse for a second term. lunch at  Seekers Bar & Cafe   beautiful ocean, quaint book exchange & drawings en plein air For art photographs of my time at BOat Harbour go to fyneimages note to self: explore  further afield ,still close by, next time.

 I feel honoured to have been chosen out of over 400 entries and to have exhibited among the 35 finalists of the 2023 Mullins Conceptual Photography Award. The little book that could was chosen - a long 900cm accordian book, 13x18cm, printed on Ilford Gallerie 200gsm rag paper. The artist statement and bookplate reads : I FOLLOWED A WORM FOR A DAY This series came about by chance - the mother of intuition - when my new studio flooded with mud from the nearby creek. Once I got over the disappointment, I didn't have the heart to start clean-up but sitting in the middle of it, drinking a cup of tea, I saw what was actually happening. A momentary glimpse into the story of the creek, a way to be still and briefly stop time. A history as flow of time, imbued now with myth, poetry and personal memories. A real gift from the creek and a flooding. A couple of videos HERE in the making of the accordian book and mud prints/ The award exhibition looked fabulous; unfortunately i was unable to...

  As a finalist this year, I am planning to head off to the Bay of Fires Art Awards to see the exhibition while its on from 9 to 12 June. I am planning to 'fill my cup' on an overnight short #getaway. This is a 3.5 hour drive from home with various stops along the way making it a long, interesting, enjoyable day. St Helens , on the East Coast of Tasmania is a beautiful area to explore I find getaways to be 'filling my cup' - replenishing mental, emotional and physical energies. On a #getaway one doesn't need to 'stop' ... its a way of doing, thinking, being on a different level but there is a break from daily cooking, washing up, hanging out laundry and other everyday things. I liken it, on a metaphorical level, to Kintsugi , The Japanese Art of Repairing Ceramics using Gold. #getaways are gold to me.  

 In general conversation (email), about artists and paintings, the name was mentioned within a block of a few others ... for some reason I copy pasted the name Joaquín Sorolla ... wow. What a find. His use of colour and light immediately hit me as I looked across all the images of his paintings on google. Drilling down a little I find he is called 'Spanish Master of Light'. 'Spain's Impressionist'. Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida (1863-1923). Born in the coastal city of Valencia, Sorolla is best known for his depictions of beach and water scenes. But he was also proficient in portraiture and landscape painting. We take a closer look at the artist’s life and work. read more I see/think when i look at these images. For the lights to work, the darks are just right. - both are so well handled as lights, darks, and together White is not white The colours are beautiful and clean The colours in the shadows 'read' colourful whilst kept in shadow. The composition of...

I am inspired by so many artists .... this i think reflects the diversity that permeates through much of what i do.  So how does this come about ? A large part of my arts practice includes reading, research and seeking out artists of interest. First ... current artists of interest include : Matisse - love the flat shapes and colour Rothko - love the colour, transparency and abstraction Jasper Johns - love his encaustics, ways of working and Cy Twombly - love his mark making and sculptures Andy Warhol - love his use of bright, flat colour his subject matter David Hockney - love his paintings and use of technology in creating art Brett Whiteley - sensuous drawing in exploring space from the model into the landscape Jeff Koons - love his mind - I watch many a talk with him ... here is one. and a documentary here . Tacita Dean - love her work & ideas, writings and her mind. Lovely works here. an interview here William Kentridge - what is not to love about his work and...