I would describe myself like a landscape I’ve studied at length, in detail.
—Rilke
I have lived in some almost wild places and loved many gardens. From the wild of the Hawkesbury river in Australia with its tidal waters deep and rushing, to the wild Blue Mountains with large noisy birds and silent eucalypt forests, where I was never far from the ocean.
To places on the opposite side of the world - Tuscany, Italy with ancient olive groves, and wild forgotten gardens; Florence with lemon trees in terracotta, rose gardens, tiny quiet birds, and monumental trees, where I am never far from the sea.
Lately, I have begun to see the world through my experiences of almost wild places and gardens. Growth, blooms, decay, seeds - the patterns in nature and in landscapes deep and wide, folded in layers with movement and light. Within these cycles and seasons the rhythm of my own life is reflected back to me.
When I am painting I am looking for memories and moments that propel me forward to find the authentic me in my art and life.
I invite you to walk with me on this journey of experimentation and reflection, to find the rhythm and beauty that is everywhere waiting to be discovered.
I live in Florence, Italy and make work in acrylic, ink, and watercolour. Recently my efforts have been focused on the expressive qualities of mark making and line.
I take photos and make sketches of the shapes, colours, and textures I am drawn to, right outside my door, or while walking in gardens and forgotten places. Sometimes these sketches are in watercolour, sometimes ink and charcoal.
I then use what I have gathered to inform my work in the studio by creating studies that I crop and collage into sketchbooks. As I work with this process I am finding new ways to develop my technique. By observing the movement of marks and the contrast in my compositions, I am discovering a new freedom in letting go.
Abstracting the landscape into something almost recognisable, challenges me to continually simplify how I see the world around me and how I express the feeling of the moment or memory with marks and paint.
