Artist statement 2015
My work is inspired by the strong sensory and visual experiences of growing up on a wheat, sheep and cattle farm in north western New South Wales in the 1950’s. Our lives were ruled by the weather, wild animals, poor land productivity and the limited resources available. My parents single handedly cleared land and built a rudimentary house, sheds and fences to create a livelihood with often poor crops and vulnerable stock.
Impressions of the power of machinery, the beauty of the native land and creatures, the great effort of physical labour, the rough-hewn farm structures, the violence of wind and rain storms and the unpredictable nature of the seasons are an inspiration.
These abstract artworks seek to capture some of the sensations and events that helped define life in this quite remote but iconic place and time in regional Australian history.
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