End of the Road
On-line Finalist 2021 Lethbridge 20000 Small Scale Art Award (QLD)
Acrylic and Mixed Media on Canvas
510 x 510 x 40
Tahiti’s Teahupo’o is considered by many pro-surfers as the heaviest and most dangerous wave in the world. Nestled in the south-western corner of Tahiti’s smallest dormant volcano, Tahiti-Iti, Teahupo’o is a small quiet village that has been able to retain much of its native beauty.
Teahupo’o’s location, power, speed, and the weight of water has led the wave being called “The End of the Road”. Imagine a massive ocean meeting a very shallow reef, rising instantly to the 10m face of a surging wave.
I wanted to produce a work that flashed the blue, green and white images surfers might encounter when they wipeout onto the coral reef and stay submerged and pummelled for 2 or 3 minutes.
Moments in Time
Gallery Finalist 2021 Lethbridge Landscape Prize (QLD)
Acrylic and mixed media on canvas
760 x 760 x 40
Bushfires would say of themselves that they are treacherous, capricious, angry and unashamedly resplendent.
Using acrylics and mixed media, I have created 361 spontaneous fire flashes on acetate, and assembled them into a single image representing bushfires’ self-acclamation.
Not trivializing their destructive power but acknowledging these events as increasingly inevitable.
The Lily and the Bee
Winner 2018 Clyde Oakley Memorial Prize - Gulgong Arts Council (Gulgong NSW )
Acrylic on framed black foam board
815 x 545x 40
This work was inspired by the Henry Lawson poem, reproduced under.
I looked upon the lilies
When the morning sun was low,
And the sun shone through a lily
With a softened honey glow.
A spot was in the lily
That moved incessantly,
And when I looked into the cup
I saw a morning bee.
"Consider the lilies!"
But, it occurs to me,
Does anyone consider
The lily and the bee?
The lily stands for beauty,
Use, purity, and trust,
It does a four-fold duty,
As all good mortals must.
Its whiteness is to teach us,
Its faith to set us free,
Its beauty is to cheer us,
And its wealth is for the bee.
"Consider the lilies!"
But it occurs to me,
Does any one consider
The lily and the bee?
Australian Eden (In a Perfect World)
Finalist Prisma 5th International Art Prize 2020 (Rome Italy)
Acrylic on framed canvas
635 x 635 x 45
In 2018/2019, many Australians were burdened by the full range of nature’s destructive capability. We were all confronted by scenes of tragedy and desolation. Between fire, flood and drought, those who live on and cherish the land have had their health tested financially, socially and mentally.
I chose to look forward to better times and represent how perfect our land can look when nature re-emerges into what might be called a Perfect World. I have used Dorothea Mackellar’s “My Country” as my compass with particular guidance from her words “…for flood and fire and famine she pays us back threefold…..”.
I sought to capture her “sapphire-misted mountains”, “the filmy veil of greenness that thickens as we gaze” and “the green tangle of the brushes”. I then interlaced my own dreams of what our country might look like in a Perfect World.
Flow 2
Merit Award, Grey Cube Gallery
2021 on-line Art Show (USA)
Acrylic and enamel on stretched canvas 1010
x 760 x 40
Almost unstoppable rivers of molten rock flowing wherever they choose, permanently and unpredictably reshaping the landscape.
Phantom
Finalist Carlingford Community Art Show 2020 (Sydney Australia)
Acrylic on stretched canvas
610 x 455 x 35
A look into the colours and shapes of deep space………..but when exploring abstract themes, you sometimes created unintended images.
Find the Phantom.
Boroyirong (Pulbah) Eden
Acrylic and spray enamel on stretched canvas
300 x 300 x 35
Water is often a harbinger of a rich and vibrant landscape and culture.
I chose to depict Pulbah Island and its surrounding waters as representative of the prosperous culture of the Awabakal people, the areas traditional owners. I imagined the island as a sacred meeting place of great beauty and spirituality, flanked by water nurturing the abundant shellfish that were an important part of the Awabakal people’s diet.
I selected a small canvas and part of the island as viewed closely by a circling wedge-tail eagle - a bird with a special significance to the Awabakal people.
I applied vibrant acrylic and enamel paint on canvas, using sticks, spray-cans and brushes to create a textured work inviting viewers to touch the canvas. Whilst the colours may not represent the island’s flora, I chose them to reflect the rich Awabakal history and culture, as well as the unique beauty of the Lake Macquarie environment.
Spring in Kinchega
Finalist Victor Harbour Art Show 2020 (SA)
Acrylic on stretched canvas
760 x 760 x 35
I depicted part of the Kinchega National Park landscape in a way that deliberately amplifies the local colours, textures and flora diversity. Within that context I have used abstract styles and techniques to celebrate nature’s resilience. and its ability to quickly reshape and reorganize its character and delight.
I specifically used the waterway to portray the aboriginal spirituality of the Barkindji people whose presence dates back more than 10,000 years, and who used the associated waterways as important sources of food.
The images have been assembled through direct observation and subsequent recollections and imagining. To enhance the abstract interpretations, I have used a specific flower - the yellow and lilac Menindee Nightshade - to introduce the park’s floral beauty.
Through this work I hope to encourage exploration of the park’s luscious tranquility and its compelling aboriginal history.
Pilbara Brumbies
Selected for the Strathnairn Gallery Squares 2020 Exhibition (Canberra Australia)
Pencil, pen and acrylic on stretched canvas
305 x 305 x 40
An aerial abstract view of the tracks of Pilbara brumbies.
Brumbies are subject of controversy, regarded as pests by environmentalists and the government, but also valued by others as part of Australia's heritage.