Exhibited works
My art is cross-disciplinary and is often based on using the whimsical and the absurd to engage an idea. Initially based in manual, hands on techniques I am now expanding into projection and augmented reality. I make my art to engage and inspire and am always looking for new and interesting ways to re-engage with timeless, universal truths.
2021/No vacancy gallery/SAK bird (helveticus exercitu cultro)
The image above is a mix of digital illustration and manual art finishing. It was created as part of the ART AVISO ‘Door to Door’ group show. Each artist was asked to respond to a page from a 1950's encyclopedia edited by Enid Blyton, mine was “beaks are birds’ knives and forks”. I tried to imagine how an artist might have been inspired to project this outlook into the future from that point in time, referencing that era's enthusiastic certainty in relation to knowledge and research. Asking if beaks can operate as utensils, then could they evolve into a multi-purpose tool or utensil at some point in time. Looking back from today’s perspective, that certainty feels like an antiquated absurdity.
2018/black cat gallery/Sonnet Mosaic
The image above is a sample of a video based artwork, displayed as a projection installation on the awning of Black Cat gallery in Collingwood. Called ‘One Night Only’, it was part of a selected range of video art, displayed on the opening night of new exhibitions. My content displayed a randomly animated mosaic of footage of my daughter and I reciting Shakespeare's Sonnet no.27. This dissected mix of Sonnet 27 deals with issues of regret and anxiety associated with being separated from loved ones because of travel or work.
2013/bar 303 & artspace gallery/chookulele
The sculpture in the image above was created as part of the Melbourne Ukulele Festival for the ‘Pimp My M.U.F’ exhibition. Paying homage to the universal appeal of the humble chicken, it found a new home with a cafe owner in Collingwood.
2014/shellac gallery/duckulele - ‘the ugly duckling’
The sculpture in the above image was also created for the ‘Pimp My M.U.F.’ exhibition for the Melbourne Ukulele Festival. This particular entry was part of a themed year, based on fairytales (in this case I chose the tale of The Ugly Duckling).
2013/melb. fringe furniture festival/mushroom stool
The image above shows prototypes for a flat-pack, casual, garden stool entered in to the Melbourne Fringe Furniture Festival. They were created in response to the theme of ‘Make it True’, which inspired me to explore a ‘truth to materials’ design aesthetic. This saw me laminate scraps of plantation pine plywood to make the prototypes, keeping much of the material finish exposed. The finished entry was laser cut out of eco-friendly bamboo plywood, exposing the manufacturers, variegated (light and dark tonal) finish.
2015/melb. fringe furniture festival/floor lamp - ‘timberlily’
This bespoke floor lamp (see image above) was also designed for the Melbourne Fringe Furniture Festival. The theme for this exhibition was ‘look between the lines’. This theme was reflected in the spinal design of the lamps vertical element, where I used spaced segments of locally sourced, fallen, tea-tree timber.
2014/red gallery/bluebottle beard
This character sculpture was exhibited as part of a small group show of cross-disciplinary, artists. Cast from a mould of my original clay sculpt, it was cast in a clear, hard, resin with a blue pigment added. The character was inspired by a mix of my experience of having grown up by the beach and the personification of nature and natural elements in cultures around the world.
2018/ brunswick street Gallery/broomshaker
This work was created for the Brunswick Street Gallery small art prize. It is a mix of digital illustration and manual art finishing. It explores the basic human desire for change, through the metaphor of the broom (‘a clean sweep’) and it’s historical association with the supernatural.
2012/red gallery/Holy write
The sculpture shown in the image above was exhibited as part of a second group show of cross-disciplinary artists. This piece was cast in plaster from a mould of my youngest daughter’s hand. Titled ‘Holy Write’, it was inspired by the display of European ‘holy’ relics and the idea of how future generations might look back at manual art techniques.
2013/red gallery/fusian - ‘domestic reactor’
This sculpture was exhibited as part of a third group show of cross-disciplinary artists. This piece was constructed from a mix of resin, fibreglass, timber and plastic. Titled ‘Fusian: Domestic Reactor’, it was chiefly a response to the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan and the questions we face when choosing to incorporate new technology into our daily lives.