Collections

field studies

A collection of small abstract expressionist works on watercolour paper.

Each piece captures the unrestrained beauty of the natural spaces surrounding my home here on the island state of Tasmania. Sunset tones and vast swathes of ivory and misty pearl dance across the page, just as shadow and light tiptoe along mountain peaks and the fields below.

flor

A series of 12 abstract works on handmade cotton rag paper. Created during the winter months of 2020, flor is an ode to the array of native Australian flora dotted across both desert and forest. From the bottlebrush to the lilly pilly, the mighty jacaranda to the vibrant desert pea, flor is about colour, texture and organic form.

This series marks a strong shift in colour play and composition, with brighter tones and track-like marks becoming a favoured form of abstract expression.

floe

Showcased at the Moonah Arts Centre in February 2020, floe is a series of abstract works on paper that explore the need for reconnection to the wild in a technology driven and dependent age. Comprising of 13 framed works, floe was also the catalyst for a daring leap to working on canvas, featuring two large scale canvas pieces.

floe is the story of responsibility, belonging, change, escapism, community and the need to reconnect with people and the environment wherein we find ourselves. It is a story that draws on my recent 8 month journey around Australia, whilst also reflecting on my connection to the Tasmanian wilderness, the place I call home. Though vastly different landscapes, each has the power to captivate and produce moments of awe and delight.

It is from the mountains, the endless deserts, dense forests, turquoise bays and coral reefs, I have drawn the inspiration to create this series of abstract landscapes. Organic shapes, intricate line markings and a predominantly blue colour palette, are layered and balanced using acrylic, gouache and pastel on watercolour paper. It is a style borne from the shapes and marks I have observed in the natural and modern world.

Said to have first been used by Arctic explorers in 1817, floe, a term derived from Norwegian flo, meaning ‘layer’ or ‘slab,’ describes large, flat, free-floating sheets of ice. Just as an ice floe is comprised of many layers, my work relies heavily on light washes, bold shapes and pastel detail to weave a visual narrative. Building layers in this way results in some colour and form being masked by subsequent layers, just as an ice floe drifts, pulls, absorbs and disperses. Everything plays a role in the ebb and flow of life. This is floe.

forma

Exhibited in the Studio Gallery at the Salamanca Arts Centre in February 2018, forma is a series of works on paper that seek to capture the essence of the Tasmanian wilderness through abstract form.

Inspired by and created during many trips into the forests and around the coastlines of Tasmania, each piece in this series bears the texture and shape of sea, land, sky or mountain.

Works convey the energy and pull of the natural environment, whilst remaining aware of the everyday responsibilities of urban life.