I ground up my treasures, scratched into them, drew on them, painted on them and hung them. Some were mount on board, painted with a broad sky or landscape scene, to enhance the narrative I already saw.
In the rural town of Alstonville, Australia, we are engulfed by the extreme changes in weather from month to month; from floods, including the Lismore disaster of 2017; to extensive droughts in surrounding areas, and fires that cannot be controlled.
Often, within just miles of each other, these extremes are a foreboding menace to the lives of those who have settled here.
In this exhibition l probe into my environment, as I always have, but now I aim to delineate the unique and ever-changing landscape of its wide-open spaces; it’s stark planes; untouched coastal area’s and shrinking wetlands; to the play of light on its topography, and the extravagant color changes from one week to the next, all brought about by the ramifications of mother natures unpredictability.
I also wish to pay homage to its original custodians, the Bundjalung, who, let’s face it, was the first to be displaced from ‘up here’ and, in fact, from all over this beautiful and beautiful yet unforgiving country.
I work with found objects of anykind to enhance the narrative that nature has created. History speaks volumes to me.
I can be excited by any junk I find, but have worked predominantly with metal for over a decade.
Found object media is a long-term penchant for me. It creates coherence between my work practices and the concerns I have about modern consumer trends, and its subsequent effects on society and the environment.
