Ngaio Lenz

Born in Queensland Australia in 1964.My work is an intuitive response to the fossicking, and gathering of objects and is an interpretation of a collection of old letters, recipes and stamps passed to me from my grandmother. A nostalgia for the discarded and a reflection of the past lives of these found objects.There is a vaguely mosaic feel to the paintings, collages and assemblages I work on. A placement of pieces, like the pieces of a jigsaw fitting together, or the laying of random mosaic tiles. It is a response to the entwined nature of our lives and the layering of everything around us.Abstract works provide an outlet for pure intuitive mark making, allowing colour to be built up and then eliminated to reveal marks and lines, often accidental, but purposefully left. Neutral tones, taupe, black and lots of white, sometimes splashes of colour, red and chocolate are my preferred palette. Mostly there is just a pure joy in the paint being moved around the canvas. The sense of connection to the found objects being placed, and the thread of nostalgia for the texture and smell of the old papers and letters used in the collages I have been working on.

MCA UTAS