ABOUT THE WORK
About the Work
IN THE ARTIST'S WORDS
- Bachelor of Fine Art - majoring painting and sculptures 1981 - 1984 Monash University
- Graphic art, Swinburne Technical College, 1964 to 1966
- Philosophy Latrobe University (unit of post graduate diploma of art) 1994
- Open Studio Guildford Lane Gallery August 2009
- 12 months residency St Vincent's Hospital, recent works, Melbourne 2008
I love art books.
My method of working is to concentrate on one work at a time and so the ideas and concepts may be similar but more often than not the imagery may be disconnected. I find it difficult to produce a body of work that flows from one to the other.
“Heartbeat” grew out of a fascination with figures in motion, the love of dance, and finding a connection or a feel for the materials used. Developing a concept through feeling your way into a creative process combines the experience of struggle and compromise, invention and letting go, and then finally the satisfaction of knowing that you have reached a point of resolution . At certain times courage is needed to let the materials lead, to surrender to them and let the form emerges and presents itself. The idea of merging and feeling at one with the materials and concept is worthy of consideration when striving to achieve a balance between the inner and outer. In the making of “Heartbeat” striving for that intangible balance between concept, medium and heartfelt feeling becomes an exciting aspect of the work .
Installation 3. Salt and the Dress
Salt and the dress weave two separate themes into one cohesive form. It explores many layers of meaning that both themes imply, and gives form to narratives that reflect contemporary issues, relevant to both themes. It is the end result of trialing processes and researching ideas. To explain the work I have included a brief background outlining ideas and experiences prior to joining the themes:
My Interest in Salt
My work is always informed by landscape. Over the past three years I have explored the salt ponds in Geelong, the Pink Lake in Central Victoria, the Salt lakes around Mildura, and Lake Eyre. While sketching and photographing around the coastline near Geelong, I discovered and became fascinated with the salt ponds at Lara. The vast space and glistening texture of the ponds and the surrounding areas of cracked earth, rubble, sea-grass, small ground plants and natural textures were visually rich. The word “salt” threw up associations, such as corrosion, healing and preserving, and the necessity to have a small amount of salt for good health, and there were other associations that have become part of our everyday language such as salinity, desalination, and rising seas, they are all associations that are tangible and immediate. Michael Sexton the author of “Silent Flood” describes how salty our flat dry continent is. Unlike other countries we have a drainage problem, our river systems are not large enough to drain salty water into the oceans, and as much as that one-sixth of our ground water drains internally into Lake Eyre.
Michael Sexton writes:
Michael Sexton writes:
“The problem with having little drainage is that the saline water sits in the ground waiting to seep out to sea, and while it sits there, it is possible for the salt to rise to the surface and cause salinisation.”
Another feature of our landscape is the clearing of trees. Where there has been massive land clearing for farming and the planting of crops the natural cycle of trees soaking up the ground water for nutriment and growth has been denied resulting in the build up of ground water containing salt deposits. This is not evident for thirty to fifty years after land clearing. This is very concerning as future generations are faced with solving these problems The many and varied associations with salt gave it new meaning, it is multi-faceted, it was a substance that we cannot live without yet it can be so destructive to our environment.
The Dress
My mother worked as a dress- maker then a TV and theatre costume maker, so I still have vivid memories of her transforming beautiful fabrics into lavish wedding dresses and ball-gowns. Each dress made was a creative adventure. She came from a generation where women’s bodies were squeezed into corsets and long bras. The body was shaped. We lived in a house submerged in pattern, fabrics pins and dress- maker stands, so there was very little separation between the creative process and day-to-day living. Visually I found the dresses very exciting. The fabrics were draped folded layered and beaded. In essence there was an appreciation for the dress as a creative expression, what it means to be feminine. For the designer it is an art form.
The emphasis on external appearance shifted in the seventies when the “Women’s Movement” fought for the right to choose education and careers over early marriage. The dress code changed as women preferred to wear comfortable clothing such as jean and pants in places where traditionally, dresses had been worn. Today the dress is still code for femininity and female identity. The film “Sex in the City”, were there seems to be more dress changes and display of designer labels than dialogue, is a testament to that. Designer labels can be code for apparent success. There is also the celebrity status. It is a worrying trend that young people see celebrity as role models, particularly when the media focuses not only on their choice of dress, but also the size and shape of their bodies. There are many such issues associated with feminine identity that are brought to question, for example females with educated minds and healthy bodies could become the primary signifier for feminine portrayal instead of the “Barbie Doll” images driven by commerce.
Like salt, ”The Dress” became an abstract notion with multiple meanings, a vehicle to carry some of these environmental and feminist issues
So how do the two ideas meet?
It is evident that both had many layers of meaning. Looking at the photographic reference of the salt ponds, and the textures of salty sea grass, sticks and rubble prompted memories of beautiful fabrics such as brocade, tapestry and lace. I visualized the dress emerging from the salty landscape. This was the first recognition of their commonality.
My first instinct was to represent the dress embedded in the salt landscape as paintings and text, however as the paintings progressed the limitations of the two-dimensional surface became clear. The representation needed to be more textured and immediate, the environmental issues more present and direct. I concluded that I could achieve this by making the dresses and coating them in salt, and therefore it would be best represented as an installation.
The process of making the dresses for the first and second installations was invaluable for solving technical problems.
PERFORMANCE
- Performance, at Montsalvat poetry festival and Ballarat Poets Society, 1988
- Performed in 'The Studio' Arts Centre, movement drama by Deborah Hay 'Milk of The Cipher', 1986
PUBLIC ART
- Employed as a scenic artist at Scenic Studios working on production for Australian ballet, Victoria State Opera, and Musical productions.1985 to 1995
- Employed as a free lance artist for world Expo 1988, and theatre organizations such as; Melbourne Theatre Company, Circus Oz, Alexander Theatre, and Anthill Theatre Company. 1998 to 1995
