Do you have structured studio hours when preparing for an exhibition? How do you balance being a full time artist with other aspects of life?
I have very loose studio hours as I work around the needs of my three boys who are all at school. I like to attend to admin in the morning and general family stuff. I seem to work better in the studio in the afternoon, when I can work until very late at night because the house is quiet and I don’t like to stop when I’m on a roll.
Are your artworks completely pre-planned or is there any room for chance in the making process?
None of my paintings are pre-planned. I never know what I will end up with. As I work, I refine with every layer, making my choices for the piece less and less wide as I find my composition, shapes and colour. Sometimes I may get stuck on where to go for the next layer when this happens I have to put the piece away. When I find it again I have fresh eyes and the separation really helps with dispelling preciousness about the outcome. I’ve also been known to hang unfinished paintings all over the house (including the bathroom) so I can casually review and appraise almost subconsciously.
In the studio what kind of music are you listening to, to keep the momentum and inspiration up?
I listen to podcasts mostly, or have trashy TV running in the background.
Who are some of your favourite artists?
Eleanor Millard, Cy Twombly, Stephen Ormandy, Ken Done, Gus Leunig, Monika Forsberg, Miranda Skoczek, Emily Besser, William La Chance.
What is next on the horizon? Where has this latest body of work lead you?
I would really like to get better at cutting panels of wood. This is new territory to me, but I have always been big on collage. I like the idea of using wood as if it were paper and much of my creative thinking has been around technical execution, I hope to improve on this idea and explore it a lot more.
