Autumn in the Park

This artwork is part of the 2020 Art in Lockdown Collection inspired by my connection with the natural world painted during Melbourne's strict lockdown. Indeed, while it was tough being restricted to a 5 kilometres zone, my painting and daily walks in our local reserve kept me sane during this time. Nature inspires and recharges! Every day in our nearby park I saw the trees change colour which I have captured in the painting. I was able to explore colour in order to express my mood. The bright colours of the painting suggest positivity and hopefully evoke happy emotions during times of social isolation and anxiety. Shadows can often be a challenge to paint as they appear dark, cold or gloomy to the eye. The purple shadows in this painting are bright and optimistic and contrast with the complimentary colours of the yellow and orange of the leaves in the autumn trees.

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Art has always played a major role in my life, initially and for many years, as a potter. I particularly enjoyed formulating and experimenting with my own glazes to achieve an interesting range of colour and textures. Then, a few years ago I switched to painting, initially with watercolour but I now chiefly work in oil. My work is experimental and I love working with pure colour, inspired by nature and the changes of the different seasons and time of the day. I love to be outdoors away from city-life, and being surrounded by nature is what recharges me.

When I need a break from the brush and paint I carve woodblocks used in colour printing - a technique known as Makuhanga (Japanese woodblock printing). Here too, it is the colour effects achieved by this process that inspire me.

I am influenced most by German Expressionism and French Post-impressionism, as well as Australian moderns such as John Olsen, Margaret Preston and Charles Blackman