Pieces to be included in the Common Ground - Theodore, one place, many journeys exhibition

The pieces in this exhibition are from my current Desert Sonnet Series, inspired by a journey across the Tanami Desert.

The particular idea I’m exploring here is that while ‘Desert’ sounds like a harsh and unforgiving place, it’s surprising what she opens up and gives a home to – the life that seems absent at first glance but is pulsing through everything. Employing layering techniques, scratched, stencilled and painted symbols, I’ve attempted to recreate the sensation of the things we sense, but cannot see; and to capture the calm softness which is unexpected in a harsh landscape.

This sonnet, written as I traveled through the desert, was the initial spark for this body of work:

Like long forgotten headstones, anthills stand,
Shoulder to shoulder, far as I can see,
They witness many tracks made in the sand,
By seekers in the quest of feeling free.

The wind, whispering through the desert oaks,
To quiet contemplation beckons I,
Ideas I may have wisdom are just jokes.
I’m feeling small under this vast blue sky.

The wattle, blooming, waves her golden limbs.
A tiny bird hunts insects for her chick.
A stillness falls as this day’s end begins,
And slowly stars, the night sky, start to prick.

But freedom doesn’t come without a cost,
To hunt for wisdom, first we must get lost.

A series of watercolour paintings with a botanical influence, created to go into the world to soothe and spread kindness. Buy One, Get One - purchasers buy the painting of their choice, and nominate someone - a person they know or know of who has been having a tough time, hurting, giving themselves away or generally deserve to be on the receiving end of some love - and I send them another painting as a gift from the purchaser and me.

Shortly after I became comfortable calling myself an artist, it occurred to me it was time to let go of my long-held belief that “I can’t draw faces”. If I was an artist, I had better at least make an effort to overcome that notion.

Drawing and painting hundreds of faces eventually chipped away and broke down that belief. At the same time, I unexpectedly discovered a love of poetry writing.

Somehow – in the mystical way creativity has of leading us to places we didn’t know we could go – the poems and women’s faces coalesced into a body of work called When Wise Women Whisper. Each woman has an accompanying poem, reminding us of our strength, courage and authenticity while whispering ‘you matter’.

The pieces in this series are mixed media (principally acrylic, collage and watercolour) on watercolour paper.

The process of their creation was to begin with a loose background - colours and forms that hint at the environment she occupies – on top of which the face was sketched and painted. Each face evolves from the sketch much like this:

I love her expression, the shape of her nose and the slight purse of her lips. And I’m scared as I continue, something adored could be lost. In fact, I KNOW it will. These women change as they come into being their full selves.

Just like you and me... it can be painful to let go of parts we have loved in order to become more of what we are destined to be.