Thank You Margaret Street Galley

In June this year, I was offered the guest artist spot at the Margaret Street Gallery in Toowoomba. It was a bittersweet month for me. My mother passed away in hospital on the 19th of June, and during that time, I also sold several works, including one that I had just finished in time for the exhibition. The pieces that sold were a curious mix of one-off trial and error works. However, the one I’m happiest with was a piece I had planned for at least four months prior. It depicted the Glasshouse Mountains, named by James Cook when he traveled the east coast of Australia in 1770. The mountains resembled the glass furnaces in his home county.

The First Nations story, however, is a far more romantic tale of how the mountains came to be. During the exhibition in Toowoomba, a couple visiting from the Glasshouse Mountains area saw my work and instantly decided it was a "must-have"—and I’m so glad they did! I am currently planning another piece depicting the mountains and hope to have it in a gallery soon. Unfortunately, it won’t be at the Margaret Street Gallery, as they are closing down and disbanding. I hope Toowoomba can offer other opportunities like theirs; they were a wonderful group to work with.

New Works For A New Year

A Happy New Year to dragons and all else. I have started the year feeling more comfortable in my 60-year-old skin, despite having had to fend off those things that cause anxiety and remorse. I am still filled with beans and hope. I am really enjoying some fresh approaches to my work and hope to create more of the same. I started by investigating Matisse, Picasso, and another artist named America Martin. My new works I call Fillie are about youth and futures. I have also changed my landscape focus, Now choosing to work with a new presentation of my work using wall sculpture rather than framed artwork. I will still do the same recycled plastic art in a salvaged frame but now I will be adding something new.

Kookaburra Sits In The Old Gum Tree...

Another of my Australian paintings since our return here in 2020. Is "The BlockHeads" which is a recycled plastic painting of a bunch of Kookaburras sitting together in the branches of a flowering gum. The Kookaburra is a wonderful native kingfisher in Australia and it's pretty much everywhere on the continent. Blockheads refers to the big heads the Kooka's have. They really are very friendly and will eat from your hand.

Another Recycled Plastic And Paper Roo Or Two

So I've been playing with ideas centered around my latest muse "The Kangaroo" I love the line that Hunt Slonem uses in his art and have been developing my own version of this style. This latest work "Blue Roos" depicts a gang of roos in the dappled light of a rainforest. The line was put down quickly and fluidly to capture any gesture my hand unconsciously made. I then backed the plastic with paper pulp and then painted on it. 

I've Neglected This Blog - Sorry

It has been quite some time since I have blogged. That has mainly been due to getting closer to family in Australia again and pushing on with my art. The last time I did post here I was starting a surfboard piece. It is still in progress but has taken a back seat to some other ideas and interests. I've looked at the possibility of exhibiting again as my house is full of artworks I don't know what to do with. It is also seriously difficult getting over COVID lockdown paranoia and "paranoomia". My brain has only just started to work its way back from the slush. But my work is evolving. Being back in Australia has its influences and I am reaching for new muses and ideas. Here is a handful of new works.

Starting a New Work in 2022

I have anticipated this project for some months now and I am finally sketching the line art on the board. Its been hard sourcing material while we have been in lockdown and what with the mother inlaw still not ready for independence, my wife and I have been busy looking after her with hardly a moment to ourselves. But we have snuck away for a spell at my sister in laws farm where the board has been stashed and now I am getting it ready for my recycled plastic art. The linework was replicated from the mock-up image by using a graffiti artist's doodle grid, that's the red doodles you see. Now I am chasing old CD cases and I may do a scan of the local beach for plastic that has washed ashore. I intend on colouring this in the same manner as some of my previous paintings from New Zealand.

Planning Recycled Plastic on a Recycled Surf Board

I have been toying with the idea of creating one of my recycled plastic artworks on a surfboard. I now live very close to the beach and often travel to my sister in law's place in Narooma. One of the highlights of traveling there is the view you get as you turn the corner and travel down to the Wagonga bridge. I've decided that that is the first surfboard art I'll create. I have been planning this for some time now and was lucky enough to receive a second-hand board on my birthday from my sister in law and her partner. Here is the planned vista for the board. I want to incorporate some of the birdlife down that way as well.

Hunt Slonem

I very much like the work of Hunt Slonem. His use of texture, colour, and form is very complete and parts of his paintings remind me of my own work. He is most famous for his bunnies, birds, and butterflies. There is something almost Australian first nation in his style also. I am so influenced by his work at the moment that I am formulating some new works in plastic that follow his approach. I think it will work in recycled plastic.

My Caricature Work (Pizza Shop)

Looking through old hard drives can be so interesting. You not only reminisce about jobs you've worked on, but you see how you developed a technique or style. My caricature work is one such surprise. This little job was done for a couple who ran a pizza shop. They wanted a large mural created to fill one end of the shop. It had to show the current Townsville Cowboys team and have a bit of humor and lots of little things going on to keep customers interested while they waited for their pizza. 

Plastic Toys And Childrens Art.

I've collected hundreds of plastic toy figurines from Mcdonalds and other companies that sell collectible sets of plastic items. I mainly did this to try creating cute pieces for kids' rooms or even unique art bowls as talking pieces for cafes or bars but they are also reflections on a throwaway culture and the consumerist approach to keep children happy. Once I have a studio set up I'm going to get back to finishing the few I have started. The one in the photo here was an experiment that I gave to my grandkids. I hear they love it and it sits pride of place on the wall at their home.

Another Landscape Recycled Plastic Bowl

I did several bowls while I was living in New Zealand. I really like this format for my art. The bowls are very durable and make great talking pieces. I had several guests to our house mention how much they like the bowls over the paintings. I am now wondering if I should just stick to making them and give painting pictures a break.

Also, my house is in storage again as I have moved back to Australia. I hope that when COVID is vanquished I will be able to set up permanently and get the studio work going again.

Caught Without My Plastic

Recently I have had to move to Mollymook Australia to help a sick family member. I have quit my job and put my home contents in a container to ship to Australia from New Zealand. So no recycled plastic to use for artworks at the moment. It saddens me to have left such a beautiful country once again. I seem to be on the move every 4 years. I wonder when it will stop. Anyway... I can never put my creativity to bed and so I have been doing whatever I can to keep it satisfied. I bought some cheap paints and a canvas or two and head off to Mollymook beach to capture it in the morning when tourists are away. This is a "sketch" painting done whenever I could steal a moment to paint.

Cleaning Out And Came Upon These.

It's so easy to forget what you've done over the years. Going through an old portfolio in a spring clean up was cathartic for me today. I found old farewell cards from animation students, images my daughter had done when she was very young, and some old sketches and paintings from holidaying or just going off to some part of the garden and laying down some marks.

Not All Is Bad In Paradise.

COVID and the lockdown made me reflect on all that is beautiful. Despite some beautiful things being man-made and unnatural, they can be often quite aesthetic and calming. I especially love vineyards, not for what they grow but for the marvelous scenery they have. I've been to many vineyards and been spoiled for choice of vista to take in. Here is a couple of paintings I've completed recently that I really enjoyed taking the time to paint.

Storm Over Curse 2020

This year hasn't started off great, with Australia's devastating fires, rising conflicts, and viruses linked to overpopulation and modern living. It's got me thinking about the state of the world, so I started a painting called "Storm Over Curse."

I used to live in the Riverina region of Australia, in the lovely city of Wagga Wagga. The stunning landscapes there always inspired me. But, despite the beauty, not everything was good for the land. Since white settlers arrived, Australia has dealt with the negative effects of introduced plants. One of these is Salvation Jane, or Patterson's Curse. It was brought over to feed sheep and did well during droughts, making it a valuable food source for sheep and goats. Sadly, it turned out to be toxic for horses and dairy cows, and now it's become a big problem.

My painting, "Storm Over Curse," reflects on these issues by combining two curses: the invasive weed and waste plastic.