ARTIST'S STATEMENT

My work depicts images as they appear in life. The subject matter of my current body of work is Australian Plants, usually portrayed as black and white images on coloured backgrounds. The less traditional look of these botanical studies is achieved by using large scale canvasses and brightly coloured backgrounds.

My works are multimedia pieces.  I draw with liquid graphite and black acrylic ink. I then ‘shade’ the images with graphite and conté. Around these images of plants I paint flat colour.

This homage to the original botanical artists of Australia honours their decision to present plants out of context. The art is about the plants, not their setting. My art is about coming to terms with how something can be defined, or lost, regardless of context or environment. The art of botanical drawing is old. My work is a reference to the past: historical past, and my personal past. Painting plants is a process that records an object captured at a moment of time; it is itself a way of ‘making history’.

Migrating to Australia confronted me with what it means to belong. For me, assimilation was about finding a way to be myself in a particular environment, not changing who I was to suit that environment. I believe we remain who we are, regardless of where we may be. Hence the plants in my work are free to float on the canvas, not subject to interpretation or definition according a particular setting or environment. Going full circle in my art, back to realism, is quite poetic. It is about reclaiming myself and feeling good about where I am. It is liberating.

This art is about migration and assimilation in 1980’s Australia. This art is about what happened to me since a trip home after 22 years here. It’s about what I learnt during my time there and since. It’s about what I’ve learnt to reconcile in the last six years.

I intend to continue with my study of Australian native plants, looking further at flowers, leaves and then seed pods. I am then going to paint images of edible plants, herbs and bush foods. As cooking is passion of mine, this is a very exciting pathway. Following this I intend to paint a collection on British plants, something which is very close to my heart. I see this as a way to tell stories of childhood, and create large icons celebrating where I come from. I simply cannot wait!   I believe each image I create has a life of its own, but as a whole, this collection is a powerful personal statement.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

I am an English-born Australian

I completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at Curtin University in the mid-1980s, and a Diploma of Education at Murdoch University shortly after.

I have been a primary school teacher for the past 22 years, including 13 years as an art teacher.  I have also taught adult classes in a local gallery, and tutored privately.

In recent years I have found the time to revisit my own painting, and opened my own studio practice.