autumn collection 2023

My latest series of work explores the journeys taken by women, physically, temporally, and emotionally. I have used a palette inspired by the colours of Western Australian sunrises and sunsets to depict the transitions we go through in life, from the beginning to the end of all our journeys, no matter how large or small. Indeed, the journeys from birth to death, both of which I consider to be moments of particular strength for women, are also depicted by these colours. This palette also serves to remind us that no matter where we are in our life’s journeys, the sun will come up again tomorrow and we have an opportunity for change or a fresh start. 

At the time I was selecting my colours and trying to straighten out my thoughts regarding the theme for this series, I read the poem, ‘The Sun’ by Mary Oliver and felt it tied in perfectly with where I was headed with these paintings.

The Sun – Mary Oliver

Have you ever seen
anything
in your life
more wonderful
than the way the sun,
every evening,
relaxed and easy,
floats toward the horizon
and into the clouds or the hills,
or the rumpled sea,
and is gone–
and how it slides again
out of the blackness,
every morning,
on the other side of the world,
like a red flower
streaming upward on its heavenly oils,
say, on a morning in early summer,
at its perfect imperial distance–
and have you ever felt for anything
such wild love–
do you think there is anywhere, in any
language,
a word billowing enough
for the pleasure
that fills you,
as the sun
reaches out,
as it warms you
as you stand there,
empty-handed–
or have you too
turned from this world–
or have you too
gone crazy
for power,
for things?  

The titles for the twelve paintings in this series came from nursery rhymes. I like to select names for my works which are somewhat whimsical and do not necessarily lead a viewer to any preconceived notions about the painting, rather, I like a viewer to make their own interpretations of my work based on how it makes them feel. Using nursery rhymes as the inspiration for the names tied in with my overall themes for this collection in a subtle way. I am now in the third phase of my life as a woman. I have been a girl and a mother, and I am now a proud grandmother. All major stages of my life and its journeys have included nursery rhymes, many of which remind me of the people, both passed and present who have been special to me.

 As always, my pieces feature strong, simple graphic shapes and areas of quietness that interact with soft patterns and gentle lines. The lines signify how we move through space and time and the impressions that life and the environment leave on us. They also represent the imprints we leave behind on people and the world around us. These visual languages capture the essence and movement of our journeys, the places we visit and the rhythms and feelings they evoke.