Artists Statement

In the past fifteen years as an artist my practice has developed into a focus of the human condition in Australia today.   My paintings of the face and figure arise from my interest with the way people express themselves visually whether through gestures, facial expressions, appearance or behaviour and the forces that drive this expression that arises out of our personalities,  physicality, history and culture

Conceptually I am particularly motivated by the influence exerted on all members of society that is prevalent in all forms of media today.  A large proportion of this imagery has been created with the sole purpose of proclaiming a constructed artificiality driven by consumerism and reinforces a clear unequivocal message of what is an acceptable standard of beauty, power and desire in today’s world.   This force has the effect of overwhelming our attitudes towards each other. However, it is fundamental to each of us that we are individuals and consciously and unconsciously we attempt to proclaim those special qualities that make each of us different notwithstanding powerful influences to the contrary.

The purpose of my art is to encourage the viewer to participate in a debate on our individuality and our value within our culture despite our idiosyncrasies and foibles.    For this reason my works focus on the outward appearance of those members of our society that are generally considered outside the frame of reference of beauty and power in a modern world.   The facial features appear distorted to focus the viewer on qualities that make a person unique.

All of the works convey the methods by which we consciously or unconsciously protect or enhance our sense of individuality and personality.  Elements of abstraction act as a reminder to the viewer that our interpretation of the individual lies at the boundary between reality and illusion. In the same way that science has now  rendered obsolete our long held views as to the reality of our physical existence in the knowledge that at our fundamental cellular level we are merely waves of light that wink in and out of existence. My aim is to create an ambiguity in the images that rests at the tipping point between reality and illusion.

The significance of my works is to offer the viewer an alternate view in our interpretation of individuals’ today.  There is no fixed interpretation to each work. We read the indicators and form a view.   It is not definitive but it engages us.   We strive for the essential truth of the character and are mostly left wanting.   However, with each new face we see or meet we continue the internal dialogue. The viewer is asked to reconsider the value of our individuality from the perspective of our faults and foibles rather than the perfected whole imposed upon us through an illusionary world of consumerism.