Progress happening

August, September, have been amazing months spent with family after the wonderful arrival of our Grandson Emmett.
Only small snippets of time have been able to be taken for my new project Laying Bare. However I am making slow and steady progress. To date I have received over 146 responses from women participating in the project, my aim is for around 250. The work is developing and starting to take on a life of its own.My question was :" What expectation or fear do you feel burdened by"?. It is personal, anonymous and will hopefully give women a voice. I am hoping acknowledgment and awareness of these burdens may help us release them and also realise we are not alone in these feelings.
 If you would like to participate please contact me.
I was very fortunate to spend the day in Sydney and got to see the  2016 Archibald Prize, Wynne and Sulman prizes and the Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera exhibition from the Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection. After studying Frida for many years it was a fabulous experience to see some of the works up close.

Joyous Arrival

My husband Mike and I have become Grandparents. What unmeasurable joy. Emmett Douglas came into our lives on the 13th July. We are truly blessed.

5 day trip

It has been a busy few months steadily working on the new project. I was fortunate to be able to take a short break and have just returned from a 5 day trip to Ayers Rock.
Thankyou to the Anangu who are the traditional owners of Uluru and Kata Tjuta and the surrounding land. Anangu have cared for this land for tens of thousands of years. I am truly grateful they have allowed me to share and learn about their land and culture and build my own connection with it.
I truly believe it was the cleanest air I have ever breathed. The stillness was so beautiful. The field of light installation by Artist Bruce Munro totally inspiring. The night sky luminous.
It has been a magnificent experience.

 We went for a guided 12klm walk around the base of Uluru. Awe inspiring.

Taking in the beautiful stillness.

British Artist Bruce Munro Field of Light installation 50,000 radiant frosted handcrafted light stems solar powered.
Covering an area nearly the size of 7 football fields. I got to walk amongst the installation. A magical experience. I have come home very inspired.

New project is underway

                                                While on a short break away

                                                I started the process for my new project.

                                                No casting or plaster or feet in this one,

                                                again exploring the shared experiences of women today.

                                                This time I am asking a question and the answer is written

                                                on rice paper which will be randomly and anonymously

                                                placed in an installation later in the year. I am very excited

                                                about this work. I truly appreciate the generosity of women

                                                to participate.

                                               

                                               

While in Sydney

While I was in Sydney for the Tom Bass Prize, I was fortunate to have a couple of days to look around and visit the galleries.  After a beautiful walk through the Botanical Gardens I spent the day at the NSW Art Gallery and also a day at the Contemporary Gallery. The guided talks were wonderful and the exhibitions incredibly inspiring.

Curator's Choice

I have had a wonderful few days travelling to Sydney to deliver my work" Women Afoot"as a finalist in the Tom Bass Prize for Figurative Sculpture Exhibition 4-20 March  Juniper Hall Paddington, NSW.
Much packing took place but we managed to fit all in the car for the journey. My husband did an incredible job driving into Sydney as the pace of the traffic seemed much quicker than Brisbane.
The Tom Bass Committee had done an amazing job with organisation and the installation went smoothly.The diversity of work was outstanding and I felt very fortunate to have this opportunity and  to have been selected . Congratulations to all finalist artists, and the winners Maudie Brady and Louis Pratt. Claire Brown for the Youth prize.  I received the Curator's Choice award and the People's Choice award. Thank you to the judges and sponsors.
Thank you to my husband, family and friends for your love and support.

                                                     Two of the Judges: Jim Croke and Richard Goodwin

                                                               

Very Grateful

Feeling very grateful to have been selected as a finalist in the Tom Bass Prize for Figurative Sculpture. The exhibition will take place in Juniper hall in Paddington Sydney from March 4-20.
A massive thank you goes out to the amazing women who took part in the work, your feet are making their way to Sydney. I will keep you posted on what happens.
Being selected and included in this exhibition is a huge privilege for me as Tom Bass has been an inspiration to my art practice. I got to know about him and his work through his book.
I believe he influenced my work in 3 ways. Integrity, discipline and a love of the natural form, the body.

Cairns Regional Gallery visit.

2016 has started off well with a surprise trip to Cairns to spend time with my wonderful daughter, who also shares a love of art.
We took time out to visit the Cairns Regional Gallery.
The exhibitions were Artnow FNQ, Hiromi Tango- Art Magic the Climbing Tree and Cairns Art Society.

I really enjoyed them all. Hiromi Tango's work engaging and inspiring.