"Without nature, mankind would perish; without humankind, nature would positively flourish..." Dale Jamieson Prof. NYU
The motivation for this work was inspired by a visit to the zoo, which provoked an ethical question that is necessary and troubling.
In an age where, we are seeing everyday, the destruction of so many species, through poaching, de-forestation, increasing urbanisation, brutalisation, it seems ironic that eventually what is naturally wild and free, may only survive in a caged or controlled environment.
It begs the question, could there be another way?
The aim of this work is not only to show the beauty of these creatures but the plight of their existence in captivity.
Sulman Finalist AGNSW. Oil on linen W152cm x H112cm.
Oil on linen W137cm x H92cm. SOLD
Oil on canvas W122cm x H168cm. SOLD
Oil on canvas W183cm x H137cm. SOLD
Oil on linen W150cm x H91cm.
Oil on canvas W168cm x H122cm. SOLD
Mosman Art Prize Finalist. Oil on canvas W168cm x H122cm.
"Man - despite his artistic pretensions, his sophistication and his many accomplishments - owes his existence to a six inch layer of topsoil and the fact that it rains." - anon
The inspiration for this work emerges, from the transformation that takes place when rain finally falls on cracked dry earth and turns its dormant potential into a pulsating vitality, a fundamental manifestation of nature working her magic.
Wetlands could be any place where transformation takes place. A dry lake, a dry riverbed, anywhere the miracle of life suddenly erupts by adding water.
Oil on canvas W213cm x H91cm. SOLD
Oil on canvas W198cm x H137cm. SOLD
Triptych. Oil on canvas W336cm xH122cm.
Oil on canvas W198cm x H138cm. SOLD
Oil on canvas W213cm x H138cm.
Oil on canvas W152cm x H213cm. SOLD
Oil on canvas W182cm x H167cm.
Oil on canvas W138cm x H213cm.
Oil on canvas W152cm x H192cm. SOLD
This body of work consists of a self portrait and of people familiar to me. But to what extend do I know my self or them? Who are we really past the moment I chose to capture? What is revealed in this moment that provides a glimpse of who we might be? "...Is it possible, in the final analysis, for one human being to achieve perfect understanding of another?" - Haruki Murakami
While I've aimed to capture the moment, have I captured the truth of who we are? Mostly, it remains a mystery to me, a mystery to the viewer and perhaps a mystery to ourselves. Regardless, the imperative to "...'walk about' into a hitherto unknown world" is the motivation for this work.
Self portrait. "The contemplation of no-thing whatsoever ... you find yourself mesmerised by something that is unchanging yet infinitely compelling." - Andrew Cohen.
Oil on canvas W121.5cm x H167.5cm.
Mosman Art Prize - Finalist, Art Ascent Magazine - Distinguished Artist. Oil on canvas W71cm x H83cm.
Oil on canvas W71cm x H83.5cm.
Art Ascent Magazine - Distinguished Artist. Oil on canvas W71.5cm xH83.5cm.
Art Ascent Magazine - Distinguished Artist. Oil on canvas W71cm x H83.5cm.
Art Ascent Magazine - Distinguished Artist. Oil on canvas W71cm x H83.5cm.
Oil on canvas W71cm x H91cm.
This moment, this fleeting moment, marked and tagged never to come again in this guise.
National Portrait Gallery Finalist - Oil on canvas
Oil on canvas W71cm x H110cm.
Oil on canvas W71cm x H91cm.
Oil on canvas W71cm x H121cm.
Oil on canvas W94cm xH162cm. SOLD
Oil on canvas W71cm xH152cm.
Oil on canvas W84cm x H182cm. SOLD
Oil on canvas W84cm x H182cm. SOLD
Oil on canvas W84cm x H121.5cm.
"But in still life, there is no end to our looking, which has become allied with the gaze of the painter, we look in and in, to the world of things, in their ambiance of cool or warm light, in and in, as long as we can stand to look, as long as we take pleasure in looking." - Mark Doty
For me still life sits in silence as if not daring to move and giving me time to look deeper and deeper and explore further and further and yes, even "...taking pleasure in looking."
My objective in this work is to explore colour and the way form emerges from this basic medium of perception.
Art Ascent Magazine - Silver. Oil on canvas W70.5cm x H152cm. SOLD
Art Ascent Magazine - Silver. Oil on canvas W70cm x H152cm.
Art Ascent Magazine - Silver. Oil on canvas W71cm x H152cm.
Art Ascent Magazine - Silver. Oil on canvas W71cm xH152cm.
Art Ascent Magazine - Silver. Oil on canvas W70.5cm x H152cm.
"...no word will ever be spoken here, among the flowers... These are resolutely still, immutable, poised for a forward movement that will never occur. The brink upon which still life rests is the brink of time, the edge of something about to happen..." - Mark Doty
Oil on canvas W91.5cm x H91.5cm.
Oil on canvas W70.5cm x H137cm.
Oil on canvas W66cm x H137cm.
Oil on canvas W55.5cm x H55.5cm
Oil on canvas W56cm xH122cm. SOLD