Aikido Way Drawing

Women Water Seeds was originally an exhibition of 43 oil paintings made during a series of residencies in India and Nepal in 2014. I was invited by the Indian NGO Environics Trust to assist in co-curating the 1st National Tribal Dance Festival held in Khajuraho, a UNESCO Cultural Heritage Site in Madhya Pradesh, India. I completed en plein air oil paintings of the town and dance festival, and held a painting workshop for the dance festival participants. I then traveled to Dr Vandana Shiva’s Navdanya Farm to visit the organic seed bank and paint en plein air the daily life at the organic farm. I traveled north to Nepal for an artist residency at the Patan Museum (a UNESCO World Heritage site) with the Kathmandu Contemporary Art Center. I was honoured to be invited to hold an exhibition of the original series of 43 oil paintings at the Patan Museum gallery. The exhibition was well received, gaining positive reviews and a feature article in Spaces Magazine. Upon returning to my then home in Newcastle NSW, Women Water Seeds was exhibited at the local artist run 4 Point Gallery. With much of the exhibition sold, I continued to create artworks for the series over a number of years. Women Water Seeds was exhibited at ZigZag Gallery in Kalamunda WA in 2022. In 2023 I held an open studio event from October 21st to 29th with Mundaring Hills Open Studios. I’ve always loved making art. I made recycled material costumes with WornOut WornArt at the Mundaring Arts Center when I was in high school. I then became involved in fashion, costume and exhibitions. My artwork is interdisciplinary; painting, sculpture, printmaking, textiles and video art. I've been exhibiting artwork for over 25 years at galleries including the Patan Museum in Nepal, the Art Gallery of Western Australia, The Australian Consulate in Tokyo, Japan, The Australian Theater For Young People in Sydney, Tantrum Theater in Newcastle NSW, The Moores Building Contemporary Art Gallery in Fremantle, WA and the Mundaring Arts Center in the Perth Hills. The strong female figures in my work are expressions of empowerment and survival. The exhibition 'Women Water Seeds' at the Paten Museum in Nepal was a statement for Women & Mother Earth in the face of exploitation.