Studio Work ABOUT my art & others

The Bridge Gallery in Burnie is a temporary space for the Art Gallery while construction of the Arts Centre is underway.  We travelled to Burnie to pick up the  Oistre book  which was a finalist in the Burnie Print Prize 2025 , and encountered a splendid, awe-inspiring exhibition. There are 21, i think, artist books where each artist responds to each Afghan womans experience of living in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover in 2021. i have posted a few images i took on our visit (below).  The images are not 'professional' but give me a sense of the presentation and ideas that i enjoyed immensely. I love how each book presents as 'the same' however upon opening, each book has artwork entirely unique to the story of each Afghan woman.  The creativity and diversity of artwork and story kept me in the gallery, going from book to book, for nearly an hour.  Just marvellous.  Techniques included typesetting, drawing, painting, photography, printmaking...

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

I am infatuated with 'place', a sense of place and our place within it and that art is a collision of the intellect and the visceral.  Abstraction excites me.  The struggle, in painting, continues to align concept/vision with ability, the technical aspects. This is why I work every day. The mornings are for computer work, admin, tidying (maybe), sorting, research and reading/writing. Working daily, on various projects and ideas I paint in the afternoons, across media including oil, acrylic, pastel and watermedia. Looking back on the last year, the struggle to abstraction continues. You can see abstractions in other artworks i do including artist books, asemic, prints, ipad drawings, photography and drawing.  1. search the label on this blog.  2. (check out the last 12 days of ' looking back' (label).

  Dedicated to #13 ..so, New Year reflections - 13 days of looking back on 13 projects over the last year Day 10 - IPAD i love using the ipad to create images - inspired by Hockney and Warhol and abstraction.

Dedicated to #13 ..so, New Year reflections - 13 days of looking back on 13 projects over the last year Day 5 - drawing

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 have been creating works that celebrate colour, shape and texture which got me thinking about the saying 'art for art's sake'.  Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1 (Portrait of the Artist’s Mother)  by James Abbott McNeill Whistler, 1871,  via Musée d’Orsay, Paris This infamous portrait of Whistler's mother is generally known as 'Portrait of the Artist's Mother", while its official title - Arrangement in Grey and Black No,1  - suggests the painting is nothing more than an aesthetic composition of muted colours. Whistler also frequently painted foggy river scenes of the River Thames at night, a series titled Nocturnes . Rather than a conventional landscape painting, each Nocturne , a dreamy visual effect of light and colour comprising a flat, simple composition in a monotone colour palette with wide translucent brushstrokes.  Walter Pater claimed that 'all art constantly aspires towards the condition of music".  Whislter was drawn to this idea as...

 so proud to be a finalist again in this exhibition - always nice to see your work hanging with your peers  the winning piece by Robyn Harman is the one on the wall to the left 

Heading out to see the exhibition and will take an overnighter so i can explore the beaches and take time out. Always enjoy the opportunity for a #getaway, albeit a short one but will take my time driving up (and back) to fill out the two days. The artwork of mine that made the finalist list is called 'An Impossible Telling' ... images below of my piece and when it was framed, prior to delivery.  CONGRATULATIONS to Robyn Harman for taking out this years Bay of Fires Art Prize.

 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...

  THE BEST MOMENTS ARE YET TO COME.... Do you sometimes feel like that ? That your best is yet to come. It was Zig Ziglar who said "Always remember that your present situation is not the final destination. The best is yet to come". There are others : 1. “Come grow old with me, for the best is yet to come!” — Robert Frost 2. “There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.” — C. S. Lewis 3. “People always live badly today; they only live well tomorrow.” —Marsilio Ficino 4. “I’m like a fine wine. I get better with age. The best is yet to come.” —Richelle Mead As a practising artist, working daily (truly) this is how i feel. My Best is Yet to Come. When I sometimes feel like i am 'just pushing paint around' i look back at previous works and become re-energised. I look forward to seeing where i go with this painting thing. There are little moments of enlightenment and 'finished' pieces that propel me onward. so, onward! I hope you to...

  Is your passion a problem ? I am talking about your life's passion. It was a problem for me, for decades, while i worked in a career that paid the bills - but i always sought out 'that other thing' I felt I wanted to do. In my spare time and holidays I photographed, played with digital enhancements, did collage, calligraphy and wrote poetry. Sometimes with some success that was measured in being published and works purchased by private collectors. These days I am following my passion. I spend all day (and evenings) doing stuff - stuff i love - painting, collage, assemblage, photography, book making, slow stitching and writing. I am never bored, I quite like my boss, I enjoy going to work and I don't want to take days off or go out to gatherings, get togethers and coffee mornings. I feel so fortunate. What is your passion ? Do you do the things you love or are you in the process of re-discovering your passions. Perhaps we need to go back to our childhood to re-di...

 I am very excited to be a finalist in the Bay of Fires Art Prize this year - feeling honoured when I cast my eye over the list of finalists - I am in great company. This prize is held on the East Coast, St Helens , Tasmania and is 3.5 hours drive from home. I am thinking i might combine viewing the exhibition with an overnighter - a mini #getaway and explore the area. See a list of awards & exhibitions for Gina here

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...