I graduated in Fine Art at the Western Australian Institute of Technology (now Curtin University) in Perth with a major in Sculpture. When I moved to the Margaret River region 44 years ago, I worked mainly in textiles, due to a lack of a work space for sculpture, then I progressed onto printmaking which I loved because this process is full of surprises. In all that time, I longed for 3D art practice. Now, I have come a complete circle and I am again working in sculpture.
I have enjoyed a lifetime of creative exploration as an artist, a high school art teacher, TAFE art lecturer and a gallery volunteer for Arts Margaret River. I have had one solo exhibition and participated in many group exhibitions. My art work has sold to people from all parts of Australia, as well as, overseas.
These days, I concentrate on stone carving using power and hand tools to shape Western Australian Soapstone, Sandstone, however, lately I have been able to access and carve the beautiful African Verdit and Serpentine stone. I belong to a stone carving group named Fragments Margaret River Sculpture Association and we meet every Monday morning for 3 hours of carving.
The aim of my carvings is to achieve rhythm, energy, flow and tension while retaining form and structure. An idea comes first, which progresses to a drawing and then I let instinct and the rock guide my thoughts, hand and chisel. Choosing the right rock first is an important part of the process.
My work is focused on experiences in my life and the influence those times have had on my thoughts today. These impact my abstract carving and my figurative works.
Until recently, I lived in 120 acres of natural bushland in Witchcliffe where I became fascinated by the birds and animals that inhabited my environment so they have a presence in my work.
I participated in MRROS when it first began for five years and I am rejoining again after a seven year break.