Inspiration via the Ashmolean

As part of living the boy's dream life and living with him in Oxford while he is on tour, today I visited two great places the Ashmolean  Museum of Art and Archaeology and Pitt Rivers Museum. Inspiration on their own merits, and much more of the influence of Pitt Rivers later, I discovered the work of Angela Palmer.

Little did I know I would see two of her great pieces in my time in Oxford, Angela Palmer has done amazing things with Ghost Forest and Mummy.  Her art is often a collision between science and art, often tackling environmental issues.

Angela has clearly had an amazing education at Oxford and Royal Academy of which I am a little envious and she has achieved technically, physically and emotionally beautiful work which is an inspiration.


There is something about a particular artist whose research and creations walks a fine line with science and research, anthropology, ethnography and art which really interests me. Artists like Susan Hiller, Mark Dion, Grayson Perry, Fiona Tan to name a few that are intriguing me.

Studio delights

One of the highlights of 2011 is finding a great studio to share with some very good friends and artists. It has pushed to me and challenged me in: time management, priorities, ongoing routine of going to a place to create. It has been great just to be able to make something even just a mess and leave it to be there when you return, no more lugging stuff around and also not concerned when paint splashes everywhere. 

I was delighted to see that a photo of our studio is being used to promote Bow Arts SE1 studios. Check out the second image in the 5 images used to promote SE1. In super hectic year I also managed to participate in the Open Studios, flickr has the full set. 

It was interesting to hang and install my flags again and notice people's reaction and be able to talk to interested people about my work. A really good experience even if it was freezing cold and a little quiet on the Sunday. It is my nerdy, art geek that gets excited about a window of opportunity to see that my making and art will grow and continue. That I can be part of the broader community of people who are doing the same, ok act cool and nonchalant now, sorry I just can't.

Boxing Day words from Louise Bourgeois

I have a thing for art books, a love and passion that I am often chastised about by the boy. Especially as piles of books in rooms are building along with our bookshelves that are groaning. I am also reminded that as we live in a foreign land one day we will be shipping all my books somewhere. But my love continues and this year it included a investment (somewhat wild when i consider the price) in Louise Bourgeois The Fabric Works Germano Celant.


I do reread the books, there are an inspiration an comfort, a pleasure and a luxury and when the TV box is on I often reading and flicking through an art book.  Christmas break brings about the opportunity of time in mooching and in which I have read some fabulous words in the opening essay which seems so pertinent to what I am working on at the moment which I share below:

page 13  
"....The lives and adventures of artists are traced by what they leave behind them: marks and tracks scattered over the terrain of images.  It is on the basis of this set of imprints and fragments left over the course of time, in different spaces, that observers can read an account and a story 'written' by the human being who has used different and varied materials to reflect her vision as well as existence.........these things and events reveal multilpe meaning s connected to a personal and linguistic story, one that can be told as a posteriori by someone who has not shared this set of lived and recorded events.  


...... So this observer does not set out aspire to set out a complete comprehensive and unifying discourse, but only aims to recount   the partial story of artistic adventure ... a wrapper if not an actual garment.....a fragile like all the theoretical mirages and adornments produced by the art historian who tires to define 'destiny" of an artist  but only succeeds in expressing his observation  of the visible and the potential invisible corresponding to a view from the outside, not from the inside. "

p.s. this also justifies my love love of books and my purchasing and wish listing of them

Making meaning.... a Christmas experience

I have for the first time developed a sense of what Christmas means to me.   A celebration that a year has passed and  you still exist, you may share time with your own important people, food that is special and not often purchased is cooked, caressed and eaten. Joy given to others by contemplating their dreams and wishes and trying to give a gesture of that under a tree. Resting, eating sleeping reading chatting for no particular purpose or reason, the luxury of time.

the boy's christmas cooking 2010, YUM!

It doesn't mean that our Christmas Day was what was planned either but all the same it challenged my sense of right or wrong, good or bad.

Then with the pleasure of time to actually contemplate, a lightbulb moment when I realised that I experienced tangible clarity on a day where I made my own meaning in contrast to my own going exploration making art, looking to explore how we as humans make meaning. 

Current Work - Map - Part 2

A work in progress as part of White an extended project about my cultural identity being a white non indigenous Australian. The format and map is inspired by the map of language areas in Australia pre-colonisation ( ABC is Australia has a great interactive version of the map).

The map is something I discovered living here in London, it is interesting to me the perspective that living outside your own country gives you. It gives me an access to and space to explore my own culture's history and my identity within that.

This canvas is huge the size of my lounge room wall and incorporates drawing with Caran d'ache and I have carved stamps, experimenting with block ink to create the silhouette people recognising  Governor Davey's proclamation.

Me & 99 other artists - Open Studios