My drawing and sculpture practice evolves from the physical and material evidence of our place in nature. Living on acreage on the edge of Canberra, and travelling extensively throughout Australia, has inspired me to reflect on human interactions with nature and the cultural and historical influences affecting these interactions. I am also fascinated by the cultural artefacts and natural specimens found in natural history museums, evidence of the enduring and complex interdependence between humans and nature.
Travelling in Europe and America since 1989 has given me opportunities to research these preoccupations and to observe the variety of interpretations of the human figure across all cultures; particularly noting the consistencies among the skeletal forms of creatures. Through my work I search for threads of meaning in the collective blueprints of both nature and culture, seeking a personal relationship with the universal while acknowledging the passing of time.
I begin by engaging with a site, spending time in it, collecting natural materials and discarded man-made waste, and researching relevant history and issues that enmesh the site. Back in the studio I consider methods of connecting the materials. My instinct to treat them as fabric often influences the choices I make of wrapping, stitching and weaving. Conscious that attitudes and values change with the passing of time, my intention is to record our moment in history, as if for a future museum.
I work full time as a freelance artist in my home studio, sharing the property with my partner artist David Suckling, niece Amaya and artist/writer Kim Mahood. I completed a Master of Philosophy in Sculpture at the Australian National University in 2012 and present new work regularly in solo exhibitions in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra. My work is regularly selected for competitions such as the Deakin University Contemporary Small Sculpture Award, the Blake Prize and Fisher’s Ghost Art Award.
Travelling in Europe and America since 1989 has given me opportunities to research these preoccupations and to observe the variety of interpretations of the human figure across all cultures; particularly noting the consistencies among the skeletal forms of creatures. Through my work I search for threads of meaning in the collective blueprints of both nature and culture, seeking a personal relationship with the universal while acknowledging the passing of time.
I begin by engaging with a site, spending time in it, collecting natural materials and discarded man-made waste, and researching relevant history and issues that enmesh the site. Back in the studio I consider methods of connecting the materials. My instinct to treat them as fabric often influences the choices I make of wrapping, stitching and weaving. Conscious that attitudes and values change with the passing of time, my intention is to record our moment in history, as if for a future museum.
I work full time as a freelance artist in my home studio, sharing the property with my partner artist David Suckling, niece Amaya and artist/writer Kim Mahood. I completed a Master of Philosophy in Sculpture at the Australian National University in 2012 and present new work regularly in solo exhibitions in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra. My work is regularly selected for competitions such as the Deakin University Contemporary Small Sculpture Award, the Blake Prize and Fisher’s Ghost Art Award.