In creating the work for this exhibition I found myself drawn to the intimate quiet aspects of the ideas embedded in the title ‘We are Here’.

I came to think about clothing, which we wear as a second skin, and which indeed often carries our DNA long after we remove it from our bodies.  Indeed the importance of clothing and fabric is reflected in language through expressions which highlight their centrality in our collective unconscious.  Sayings such as “hanging on by a thread” or “the fibre of our being” seemed to me to be metaphors that were in some way connected to the work that I was developing.

Through dying fabrics in brews that were made of organic matter and then burying them in the earth for weeks at a time I attempted to connect my art to the inextricable links between fabric and existence.  I also became interested in the role of thread and stitching, which I saw as forming a line representing a longing for wholeness, strength and connection.  It was for me a counterpoint to the fragility of the fabrics I was working with which became torn and frayed.

Through the use of thread, these damaged remnants could be regenerated into something new, in which what had been weakened or destroyed was also never erased.

BIOGRAPHY:

My first vivid memory of creating art comes from my time in kindergarten. I still remember the pungent smell of the pains I used and the feeling of moving my brush across paper. I also recall the sense of freedom I felt as I filled the page with color.

Since that time art continued to interest me and I went on to study printmaking. For many years the somewhat ‘magic’ process of etching copper plates fascinated me. However as time passed I became increasingly interested in the expressive qualities of other materials and I began to experiment with a variety of other media . During that time I participated in group shows at the Australian Print Workshop and various other galleries.

As time passed I became increasingly interested in learning how the creative process could be utilized to enhance life . I therefore undertook a Master in Creative Arts therapy at RMIT and after graduation began to practice as an Art therapist. Some years later I undertook an Arts based PH.D study which I completed in 2012.

As an important adjunct to my studies, my professional work and my personal creative impulse I continue to develop and enlarge my own art practice.