I have rarely been without a sketchbook throughout my life. I have spent many years spread out eclectically across various locations, from the Kimberley, to the Northern Territory, Perth, the wheatbelt of WA and also in Thailand. I’ve settled for the last 6 years in the south west of WA. Wherever I am, botanicals always catch my eye, particularly our unique Australian flora. A lifetime of taking time to observe my natural surroundings has lead me to branch out with my love of sketching, by showcasing my drawings on various art mediums.
After a trip to the Kimberleys when I was a teen, I started an obsession with painting boab trees on canvas. I soon moved on with varying my botanical subjects to other native Australian flora and enjoyed developing my own way of expressing the landscapes around me. I have been painting on canvas for the last 18 years, my style can be described as definitive abstract. Lately my paintings have been a conglomeration of intricate and repetitive drawings, symbolic of the flora and fauna that have caught my eye while taking in the natural landscape.
More recently I have discovered the art of pottery and sgraffito. After a life changing event a couple of years ago, I needed a new interest to throw myself into, and provide me with a new zest for life. On a whim, early last year, I bought a kiln, before I’d ever even bought a bag of clay! Since then I have gone on a fast journey into the clay world and I haven’t looked back. I have been applying my collection of sketches to clay. I do this by applying a layer of colour to the raw clay, then I carve back parts of the colour to reveal the earth underneath, a style known as sgraffito. I am only 1-2 years into my newfound love of pottery, which has turned into a fanatical passion of having to either hand build or wheel throw almost daily.
There are so many elements to pottery that keep my coming back for more. Not only the feel of making something out of raw earth with my bare hands, but also the chemistry of the glaze, the art of sgraffito and the technicalities of manual firing that I have mastered with my electric kiln. I have found great fulfilment in combining my love of colours and sketches on the various pieces that I create.
I am looking forward to sharing my illustrations on both canvas and clay, from my shared studio space.