studio blog

Sending love to Lismore

Sending love to Lismore – The devastating floods in Lismore and the effect on the community has been enormous. People have lost homes, businesses and ,very sadly, loved ones. Amongst the memorable have been the heroes who saved lives and risked their own. People needed to be boated, helicoptered and some swam to safety. The high bridge crossing the Wilsons river was crossed with boats of people. The centre of Lismore has a heart sculpture to welcome people to the CBD and the hands and heart of the sculpture sitting in flood waters has become an iconic image. As a result, red hearts to show love for Lismore have sprung up everywhere – as though planted and growing – this is the inspiration for this series.

sending love to Lismore


I have begun to use gouache as a medium and have been enjoying the new approach which it has given to me. Being mostly opaque, water -based and fast drying gives me the immediacy of inks which I have used in other mixed media works – but allows a more graphic approach which I am finding a lot of fun.

I began with a small art work (called ‘Sending love to Lismore’) inspired by a Domestika learning module with Cagla Zimmermann. I find messages from other artists help me to think in different directions – it’s good to have diversity of process to think about when creating. My next one is called ‘Growing hearts’ and makes me think of all the hearts which have been popping up in Lismore.


Growing Hearts with paints

Growing hearts

New ideas about water lilies

My environment is a source of inspiration for art.
There is a dam fed by an underground spring – it has fish, eels, tortoises and lots of ducks and water hens.
The water hens have just had babies.
There is an azure kingfisher which lives there as well.
My next mixed media will be the kingfisher, water lilies and dragonflies.

Waterlilies
Water lilies on our dam at Uralba

It reminds me of Monet’s water garden – I would love to visit there and is ‘on the list’!

Spotted pardolotes – mixed media series

I have been making mixed media art with papers and ink. I love mixed media – it is a lot of fun. Four of them featured spotted pardolotes which are a small bird but my interests in them goes back to primary school. I was living in Victoria, Australia. I think it was the Gould League and I drew a spotted pardolote for a competition – I was happy with the result but unfortunately I don’t have the drawing. I love spots on birds – pardolotes, brown pigeons, guinea fowls and so on.

I created 4 mixed media pieces – Bush Pocket, Chance for a birdsong, Morning Light and Special Haven.

another beautiful day for painting

I think ‘the smell of rain’ is finished – in time for the Ocean Shores art expo. Now need to continue on with ‘Treasured’, a painting of a dog who I saw one day when I was out and he was a very special and ‘treasured’ dog with a beautiful garland of flowers. These works are for the art expo with the theme ‘treasures’.

the smell of rain
the smell of rain

Treasured
Treasured