about dirt roads and skies so wide you might just fall over the edge |
It begins in rural South Australia. The Barossa Valley is a land of tradition and distinct personality. I grew up on the family property, much of which remains and where I still return when the wide, soft silence calls me. Much has changed and much has not.
I now live with my husband and family in a small village in England. Driving towards the South Downs and my Studio in Ditchling, East Sussex I pass tractors, fields, familiar vineyards. I feel myself nestled in the curve of the hills once more. My paintings are about land and people, about bearing witness to this journey we are all on and the small rituals of everyday life that serve as anchor points. Water and warmth, big skies, thunderstorms, dry dirt on old boots. Campfires under skies of velvet ink. And the long forest walks and gentle beauty of my adopted homeland. This is the well I draw from. The natural world and also the patina of objects and tools that live alongside us are consistent sources of inspiration. I paint on paper and wood. Tactile and utilitarian substrates that respond well to bold, gestural marks and colour. The paintings are built up over many layers and the removal of paint is often just as important to the story. There is something about these small glimpses into the past that I find deeply moving. Some works come easy, some have to be coaxed out. Some I understand and some keep their stories hidden under layers of fine sanding and wax. my studio Instagram
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