The Big Dry Painting

Doodie's inspiration comes from a deep love of and connection to nature that began in childhood, as she explored the swathe of untouched bush behind her house, then came home to a vast view of sky and river. Her process is intuitive. She often uses her own photographs as a reference; always there is memory, and imagination. She begins with a palette of colours and a range of tools, with the intention only to make a ground. Then a dialogue begins and the painting's subject is slowly discovered. The results are unpredictable, leading to variations in style from abstracts with geometric elements to both expressive and more figurative landscapes. She finds the creative freedom in this way of working intensely rewarding. It allows her to access feeling in a very direct manner, as she explores the link between the reality of the landscape and how she conceives it.