Castledine & Castledine
Kalamunda, Western Australia
Mikaela Castledine is an award winning artist and published writer, with a BSc biology and an MA in Literature. She has been a professional artist for 30 years
MessageI grew up in the unconventional house of an artist and a craftsman and so very naturally fell into art and making as a way of life. However, acceding to my mother’s determination that her children have something to fall back on I studied biology at university instead of art, going on to study interior design and later a Masters in writing and literature. These various areas of study, rather than diverting my attention from my art practice have instead fed into it and my work encompasses my interest in philosophy, animal (including human) behaviour and architecture as well as nourishing my need for story.
My creative impulse is to make things out of anything that comes to hand; paper, thread, wire, wood or words. I am inspired by everything that crosses my path. With both my collage work and my writing I try to capture the feelings that places evoke in me. With my crochet work inspiration often gets caught up with the logistics and facts of my craft. What happens if I do this? How might I make that shape? I love making the materials work for me and when they don't, I simply unravel the stitches and try again from another angle. I find the problem solving aspect of this work immensely satisfying. I also find the repetitive nature meditative and soothing and the results pleasing and often amusing.
Statement
There are universal truths you learn about life as you move through it. That you cannot always be happy is as true as you will not always be sad. Grief, joy, satisfaction, frustration, all are waves upon a sea, and you have to learn to navigate your little boat over and under, through and around. For me creativity is a way of trimming my sails and guiding my tiller and weighing my anchor; it is how I keep myself afloat and moving. Each of my pieces represents a thought, a story, an emotion, they are a way of asking a question, not to receive an answer, but to acknowledge that the question is a good one and is there to be asked.