I have been fortunate enough to have lived in Margaret River since 1983, and in the coastal hamlet of Prevelly since 1999. Over these years I have witnessed the exciting development and growth of the creative culture of the town. For 12 of these years, I co-directed Margaret River Galleries and was closely exposed to the excitement, passion and drive of artists, while being surrounded by the diverse results they achieved. When the business was sold on, I finally had the time to explore my own creativity and found the joy of working with the tactile medium of clay.
Once my hands were immersed in clay, I re-discovered my basic skills of constructing which had been honed as an owner builder during the 1980’s. Thankfully the ceramic community offered fantastic mentoring to grow these skills into a new phase. For subject matter, my imagination constantly returned to what I feel it means to be an Australian in these post colonial times. I wanted to celebrate the every day life of those around me, and the culture we are living in.
In 2017 I had an opportunity to establish the Clay House in Margaret River, a gallery that showcased ceramic artists of Western Australia. While there, I worked as the artist-in-residence, creating my pieces in full view of the public. This experience was invaluable in my creative development as it forced me to constantly push my skill levels while receiving daily feed back from an ever-changing audience.
Clay is an incredibly malleable medium which gives me the opportunity to explore my interest of iconography and symbolism. I am able to explore how motifs and symbols become representative of certain cultural concepts over time.
My process involves creating figurative sculptures from clay using an intuitive process of hollow form construction, that is then filled out. I create my artworks with the intention of them being displayed indoors or outdoors, treating them with sealants and finishes to allow them to live amongst the gardens or inside the houses of their eventual owners.
My career has spanned almost two decades, including solo exhibitions at Jahroc Gallery and Bunbury Regional Art Galleries, working as an artist-in-residence at the Clay House in Margaret River, participating in the Southwest Survey at Bunbury Regional Art Galleries, and participating in the Margaret River Open Studios several times.