Saturday, September 27, 2014

Last Light

Last Light

2014
Acrylic on paper
600 X 250mm

Last light was inspired by an evening sunset I experienced while I was in Borneo.

Wainui Water

Wainui Water

2014
Aryclic on paper
250 X 600mm

I thought about calling this something like watersnake. The light strike on the surface of the water reminds me of a snake traveling towards you. It was an experiment to see how to display the above and below water worlds.

I am lucky enough to live close to water where you can see down to the bottom. Apart from after a storm when the sand gets churned up, the water is usually very clear. If you peel away the glistening coat, and look underneath the surface it is as beautiful below as it is above.

Having been fortunate enough to swim in water all around the world I know that this is not the case everywhere. In some really beautiful places it is really sad to find that the sparkly surface sometimes hides a layer of plastic lurking just out of sight.

Friday, September 26, 2014

Wainui Beach

Wainui Beach

2014

Acrylic on paper
600 X 250 mm

Wainui Beach is a piece based on the beach over the road from where we live.  When we first visited the beach it was white sand as far as the eye could see. Then after a huge storm we visited the beach and discovered that it had been striped of sand and was almost unrecognizable. Large platforms of rock emerged from the water, it was hard to believe that they had always been there. Hard to imagine the quantity of sand required to bury them and that had moved in just one night.  Now we are familiar with this regular change in the beach. It makes every trip to the beach something new. Will a new form on the water line be uncovered or will we simply have white sand as far as the eye can see.

Sunday, April 13, 2014

My Iron Mask


My Iron Mask - 2014

Watercolour on paper

I have been interested in the idea that from our earliest years we develop 'the face' which we present to the world.  Like an iron mask created to conceal true identity it forms a barrier between ourselves and the world. 'My Iron Mask' (in my case with celtic and new zealand influences) suggests that our cultural experiences informs the ever evolving design of our mask faces; while at the same time this construction has an impact on the inner face, the inner person. We cannot see this effect ourselves as we look outwards and see the world through our mask, through our conditioning. Does the mask create permanent tattoos, scars or simply temporary shadows on our true face? It is unclear. Would we like the effect if we could see it? Or would the effect appear as distortions of how we see ourselves. The painting also touches on the point that this iron mask is not perhaps an enforced imprisonment imposed on us but that this person voluntarily holds their iron mask in place. Why would we cling to this when we are free to drop this barrier to discard what we have been influenced by? The painting suggests some of the fear we face in dropping the familiarity of our learnt beliefs and viewpoints. The difficulty we face in attempting to see the world without our history.

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Insight

2013
Watercolour on paper
72 X 52 cm

A delighted child presented with a giant fish. 'Insight' presents the problem that we face in curbing our view to using world resources. As children the fish seems enormous and plentiful but behind the child's delight the nets and ocean are empty. The child though is looking forward and the delight and beliefs fostered at a young age are hard to change. The child doesn't question the need for so much fish on their plate, the idea of waste and overindulgence simply doesn't exist for them. The outcome, another generation with rights and wants and to a lesser degree needs.