Series

The interplay of colour and form in 2 dimensions enable personal reactions. On occasion, something in a painting grabs you: you feel peace, passion, reality. The reason for your reaction is unknown.

High mountains to the sea

The Kimberly houses large landscape elements. As you drive through the amazing country, you see long lines of cliffs. The cliffs form fascinating features especially at night when the light from the moon highlights amazing changes in colour.

The basis of these works is the domination of the curved line.

I grew up in a region where First Nation people and people of European background lived and worked together. Only later did I become aware of the impact of the arrival of Europeans on indigenous people. This set is the first step in my dealing with the huge and ongoing losses of the indigenous people of Australia.

The series developed after I flew over Central Australia at different times of the day. The shapes of dunes from above, with their shadows, day and night, during drought and after rain, are represented.

Fire is a constant presence in Australia. The shifting form and intensity of flames are the basis of this series. If we look from a distance, then the visage might be a city. Up close, the flames might induce fear and awe.

This series started with a jade sculpture in which a landscape could be discerned. The pale blue and grey colours of jade lent themselves to marine themes, with pale brown clay inclusions indicating land.

I remain fascinated by the interplay of rock and tree. The hilly areas around Australia have amazing shapes and colours, despite the limited height and variation. I have limited the colour palette to reflect the dominance of brick red sands and rocks in so much of the landscape of the Australian landscape.

I travelled to Japan on a tour to look at contemporary architecture, design and art. The treatment of light by the architect, Tadao Ando, was especially memorable. Light appears at the edge, under benches, down light wells, rarely flooding the interior. In this series I have attempted to present some of those effects in two dimensions.

Plants come in many forms: alone and massed. Spectacular fields of blooms appear in the desert after rain. When we look from above, we can see paths through the shrubs and woodland: from the ground, individual plants merge and separate.

Take a fragment of iron housed outside for a time and you will find rust. The flakes may cover the surface, appear between or within cracks. Similarly, the plant disease called rust forms eruptions on the surface of leaves and stems. The three dimensions of rust concern me here. I used a technique where thick medium was first applied and then coloured. The overall effect suggests 3 dimensions when the direction of light changes as you view the image.

If you limit the forms allowed on the canvas to one geometric shape, such as a triangle, the effect is then defined by the colour and placement of the elements. The relative freedom of curves needs to be replaced by the interactions of the colours. Shown here is a further reduction of colour to black, grey and white.

We most commonly see waves from the water. The colours and forms change as you look down on the sea.