My creative journey continues…..it’s been a life filled with waves of learning and growing and discovery. All while my personal world has changed……cycles of working to earn a living, being a stay-at-home mum, back to working again, and now a Grandma to 6. And, as we are all aware, the world has changed around us, bringing new challenges, and new opportunities.
Right now, in my 70’s, the need to express myself creatively has never been stronger. I live on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, by the beach. It is quiet and peaceful and sleepy for most of the year, but comes alive on sunny winter weekends, and in the summer when our population explodes. The sea change I made a few years ago has definitely influenced my paintings, but I also draw heavily on my dreams, which are vivid, bizarre, and inexplicable for the most part. But I am also inspired by places I have travelled to, and my enduring love of gardening. When I’m not in my little studio, you will find me in the garden, or on the beach.
I would call myself an intuitive abstract painter, I often start out with no idea of what I will create, just playing with paint, collage, dry media, inks, whatever is at hand, letting my emotions free, the music playing, my heart open to whatever will appear.and something always does - it might take just a few layers, it might take weeks or even months. I’ve learned to trust my creative instincts, and to let each of the many layers in my paintings develop in their own way, informed by what is already present on the canvas. I know it’s finished when there is nothing more that needs to be said…..nothing more I could add, nothing that needs to be obscured or removed.
Recently I have been exploring my version of collage as a medium…..painting with paper. I start out by creating hand painted papers in a variety of colours and textures. Sometimes I use a gel plate to create layers on the paper, sometimes I paint directly onto the papers. My studio now has a very organised system for storing those papers until they are needed. Next I create a simple painting on heavy archival paper, or on a cradled wood panel, to establish the design, values and colours. Then comes the process of selecting papers to fill each part of the painting - the patterns and textures really make the painting come alive in unexpected ways. Whilst I mostly use papers I have created myself, occasionally I include a few pieces of papers from my collection of special pieces, pages from old books, old sheet music, stamps from my father’s collection, a drawing done by a grandchild, bits of memories that hold special meaning to me. These collages are a lot of work, much more than just a painting, but they shine with depth, and offer a textural sensory feeling. The final finish is a satin varnish.
The greatest pleasure for me is when one of my paintings speaks, in its own way, to the viewer. My collectors know why they need to add my paintings to their walls….and I love knowing that a painting has found its forever home.
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