I grew up in and around Wagga Wagga, NSW, and my formative years were spent living on farms. I still live in a rural setting near Canberra surrounded by mixed farming land and vineyards.
For me the scent of ripe grain or the musty warmth of farm animals pitched against back notes of eucalyptus, dust and echoes of Magpie carol create an immersion and feeling of innate belonging.
The landscapes that motivate me aren't empty or desolate places but peopled by farmers and settlers and indigenous owners. It can be a land of agriculture and industry or vast tracts less travelled; emptier places further west. Places may be temporarily uninhabited but they always have a sense of those who have been there before.
After walking, collecting, photographing and drawing I arrive at the studio aiming to imbue my objects and surfaces with a sense of wonder and reflection on the places they conjure.
Courtesy of Stella Downer Fine Art
ringlock wire, steel, sheep fleece
3 x 9 x 7 cm
Finalist
Judges of the 2013 Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize: Nick Mitzevich (Director of the Art Gallery of SA) and Professor Ian Howard (College of Fine Arts, UNSW).
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