Down In The Gorge Painting

As Peter Schjedldahl said "the only thing that I am a world expert in is my own experience". Born in Sydney, Australia. Resided in New York City 18 years. As a Blue Mountains artist, my artistic practice combines observations from travel and personal experiences of everyday surrounding beauty. By reimagining subjects through the development of my own painting language is the essence of my work. My painting style is to disintegrate shapes and colours into fragments, a process of applying paint meticulously like pieces in a puzzle, thereby allowing images to develop like broken worlds pieced together for diffusion and distortion, movement and rhythm. The paintings’ themes can be figurative but are mostly of the floral and landscape world via energy and vibration. I have been a three-time finalist in the Portia Geach Memorial Portrait Award for women artists and a selected finalist + invited artist in many other exhibitions. Works are painted in oil on board, a support that lends itself very well to my work through the blending of colour saturation; this breeds lushness. The working process, an immersion of self, directs me to meticulously apply fine brushstrokes. Gradually the work comes into focus from genesis to intense layering of colour and mark-making. I generally work in series. The freedom to make contemporary art allows me to combine thoughts and materials, thereby responding subjectively and spiritually from concept to execution. All works are painted on board (unless otherwise specified). Boards are professionally constructed and have a solid frame on all four sides i.e. cradled - then the timber board top is attached. Timber is then sealed and primed followed by several undercoats sanded between these coats before the painting has been commenced. All my works are painted initially in acrylics followed by an oil paint layer and finally finished with a coat of varnish which protects the paintings and adds brilliance to the works.