Artist statement - archival work
The representational paintings are work from the period 2004 to 2010, where a Masters in Painting and Drawing at the College of Fine Arts was completed in Sydney. It was an exciting time of experimentation, with rapid developments in technique and subject matter. There are many genres represented.
Using local environments as subject matter, and making a fully resolved fine art image from the everyday was challenging. The work of the Fauves and also such Postmodern artists as Gerhard Richter were a big influence at that time.
Growing up in a rural childhood environment, the north west slopes and plains of NSW also became a powerful resource for themes and images. It is sheep, wheat and cattle country, and the vast skies, clouds, extreme weather events, changing light and agricultural animals formed a strong sensory experience that is reflected in my work.
It was an isolated existence, and gave me the incentive to use my imagination, via artmaking, to compensate for the lack of social contact. Drawing and painting was an early and lasting activity, and this early observation and interaction with such a sensory environment still informs the work.
These paintings show development as a painter, and the origins of that..
Most of the paintings have been sold to friends and local patrons, some have been kept as reference material.