Blog

Many of my recent thoughts and undertakings in the studio have prompted me to consider deeply the notion of being not just an artist but also an observer.   I don't just mean in a literal sense as if I was capturing a still life in charcoal or a en plein air landscape in paint. I mean really making sense of what I am seeing by bringing a multitude of senses to moment of looking.

With spring not too far away (in the southern hemisphere) and the weather starting to warm up again it suddenly dawned on me that I hadn't undertaken any kind of hibernation this winter, so I decided that I should have a kind of emergency one, so as not to miss out. I don't know why hedgehogs and bears should have all the fun....

In recent weeks, I've found myself encountering a series of disruptions to my work routine, which have in turn shifted my focus away from thoughts about where my work is going.   I found myself painting a door this past week, rather than a canvas...(it's a long story, which I'll be able to explain if you come and see me at open studios in October - it involves a bit of show and tell.....) Anyway; it's a strange but interesting place that feels a little bit unsettling....

I've been thinking a lot about the role of the creator and the role of the viewer, in the creative process and how they are intrinsically intertwined, much like dance partners.....Salsa, Waltz, Disco.... take your pick!   Art by its very nature is a collaborative experience between the artist and the audience. The artist makes the painting with an intention (generally, but not always) that other people should see it at some point and that the work be shared with others.

A painting isn't just something to look at or to hang on an empty wall. Spending time at the Affordable Art Fair in Brisbane last week, naturally got me thinking, about all sorts of things. Primarily because the joy of it all provoked a reaction in me that doesn't often happen in the studio when I'm working away on my own. Seeing so much art in one place, bursting with vibrant colour; from landscapes to abstracts, installations and sculpture, still life's and whimsical print

Where's the 'Off' switch? There must be one somewhere.... I'm working on a big painting at the moment, which is actually three panels..