Let's Talk Art Blog

I'm thrilled to have been selected as a featured artist in Create! Magazine's latest issue. My interview for the magazine is below or if you'd like to know more about what's in the rest of the issue - read on!

With Noosa Open Studios 2024 underway, I thought I'd take advantage of the beautiful weather (and the fact that my studio space is reasonably tidy) and do a short video tour, to share this years exhibition of work and my studio surrounds, for anyone not able to make it in person. You'll see latest pieces from my new Wayfinder Series, which are now up in the Gallery section of my website and available works are listed in my Shop.

My latest work on paper began with a cool colour palette, which I eventually added to with a few warmer colours. This was an interesting sketch as I found several learnings to take away from it.

This is a process I've been wanting to try for a while, but I never seemed to find the right moment - until now! Many years ago (I won't tell you how many) I made some prints using the drypoint etching technique where a sharp tool is used to incise marks into a surface which then hold the ink for printing. I loved the results but back then I was using a metal plate and looking back the process felt a little laborious, permanent and costly.

I recently set myself a little challenge – to fill a sketchbook using a limited number of materials and monochromatic palette based on black and white. I wondered how much information I could gather from my environment if I sat still in one place for a time, let my eyes wander and just observe and absorb what was around me. In this case, it was mainly foliage of various different kinds.

At this year's Noosa Open Studios I think the most commonly asked questions were about incorporating pencil and charcoal into mixed media work. So I thought I'd share a quick summary and a demonstration video about how I set these types of marks so that they stay put and don't keep smudging as the work progresses!