Those ripples we make

Second thoughts have led to some changes to this one today - and yet it still doesn't successfully convey the idea I want. The image looks too much like a sixtys woodcut, heavy and angular. Here it is anyway, a development and a continuation of the exploration. Somehow I need to guard against the rendering language taking over the idea and engulfing it. Back to the minds eye for this one !



This is a rendering of the ripples sketch. I didn't want to kill it with black conte - just intimate the displacement of energy. I think it could just as easily represent a windy Welly day. Looks more like a foyer than a mall - and that's cool. It's a lot more 'painterly' than the previous pieces - in that sense it's looser I guess. I think there's a connection with them in relation to the way we inhabit space or expand to fill it.

Ripples and bow waves

These two sketches are ideas that jump off your sculpture Ricky, I'm thinking about the intersections in the wakes and spacial waves - and playing with the slight displacement as they intersect the figures. I like the solidity of figures in the portrait aspect piece and I want to add some planes to the figure when I paint it so it's less flat.

Mp3'd space

OK. So today I painted the compressed space idea. There's a lot to like, (colour, glimpses of more representational figures...) and much I could expand on with this idea. I want to progress it by exploring painting on unstretched (linen) canvas. Wonder if I used PVA to stiffen it and maybe some linen thread to sew the pleats in place, whether I could get the effect I see in my minds eye - or whether it'll look like so much curtain fabric...? Only one way to find out. Mmmm painting on the face of the pleats - solid colour into the folds or whole figures extended and then disappearing into the pleats ?
For now I'm going to stay with the bredth of my ideas, because there's one in the back of my head thats yet to work it's way out. I can't seem to grasp the swift movement I'm after.
I'm going to leave this exploration for another time and render the ripples idea as well. One week of this phase of exploration left.


This is a sketch I want to work on next. It's about accidental collisions. We all have our own space - when we bump into somone in the street say, that space is compressed and convoluted - as if it were mp'3 d. I want to play with pleated and painted paper so that light cast is utilised in interesting ways. Make sense??

View through a crowd

These three paintings are an exploration of the intersections between people - the way we break into each others' space and the small view windows afforded through peoples ears when you're queueing or craning to see.
I'm really interested in the negative spaces created.

Beyond Summer School

So... a lot of gestural line - I love it ! A new assurance in the value of my work - about time, and a new and exciting direction for this year.

What next?

I came home ready to explore more and bursting with ideas. My friend Ricky (a sculptor amongst other things) and I are planning to mount a joint exhibition some time this year which promises to be alot of fun, and we're working towards that at the moment. We both enjoy the process of collaboration and exploration as much as the 'doing it' so we'll be exchanging ideas, work in progress and co-creating works collaboratively.

We're focussing on social spaces and the way people occupy and interact within them, It's led to some great ideas.
I'm playing each weekend in the studio, with paint and anything else that might lend itself to expressing the ideas... once you open to the possibilities and let go of the need to frame the work, the medium you choose is only as limited as your thinking (she says, while still working on paper!)

These last two works were done a couple of weeks ago. Still focussing on spaces but looking for ways to add figures to them in an expressive and sympathetic way. I'm playing with masking shapes - I really like the irregular effect.

These paintings of spaces follow the same theme, and extend on it. The two teal green pieces were required to link to eachother and began as one long drawing that was divided in three. The third piece was given to another artist to work on - a great challenge and an interesting learnignand sharing opportunity.

More spaces

Drawing objects in space

Drawing the space

Summer School Wanganui January 2006

The Subtitle for this post should really be 'Stretching Space and Pushing Boundaries' - because that's what it was!

Our tutor was Robert McLeod, and the aim of our course was to look at when a painting becomes a sculpture or an installation and when a mixed media drawing or collage becomes a painting.

I arrived with some clear goals - to break out of painting small canvasses in a figurative manner, to allow myself to play and to work loosely and energetically, in contrast to the way I work as an illustrator. I wanted to be a better painter in a week (yeah?) and I wanted to get rid of some common self-talk. I did most of that, and more.

Here's a collection of photos from the week, I'll try and put them up in the order that we did the exercises. A blow by blow commentary would be pretty boring to read - so if you want to know what the exercise was about or why I interpreted it that way, leave me a message and I'll reply.

Suffice to say I didn't anticipate falling for the space or that I'd enjoy the process of abstraction as much as I did. people say they can see the influence of Rob in my colour choices. I'd be interested to know what you think Rob. I think I just love vibrant singing colour!

Well I guess this is a pretty typical image of me....

First day

Wow! I had no idea this woud be so easy to do.

I want to use this Blog space to record some of the cool things I've been doing this year with my artwork and creative thinking.
It's a bit of a journey (and it's only February) and so far it's been a blast. I thought I'd post up the Summer School photos that Terri gave me (thanks heaps Terri) - from January in Wanganui. Along with them I'll put the exercises as they were described for us to tackle, so it's easier to see the progression and development of ideas. From there I want to begin to publish my ongoing ideas for painting and drawings I'm working on currently - and my thoughts around them.

I may also put up some samples of my recent illustrations at some stage, but I guess that isn't my main focus for this blog - so it mightn't happen straight away.

To those of you who I've invited to share this - Welcome, I hope you might leave me a comment or two when you view my work, to let me know what you think - I value your opinions .

To anyone stumbling on my Blog - welcome too - I hope you find it interesting and that you might enjoy following the progress of my work.

Phew! Now let's see if this has worked....