Since 2003 I have entered in various Sydney art prizes. I have a number of works that I have exhibited, and will continue to use these are vehicles for pushing my work to reach a wider audience.
My first art competition was the Annual Liverpool Art Society exhibition 2002
There was a painting that I had completed called "Mt Nemrut in the Snow" for which I won third prize (left).
In October 2004 I entered the Fairfield City Art Prize, gaining a 'Highly Commended' award for the picture above titled 'Buddha Kandy'. It is a picture of a statue of Buddha, in Kandy, Sri Lanka.
My first solo exhibition was called 'conscious decision'.
At forty years of age I made a 'conscious decision' to study arts although I had been interested and completed lots of art throughout most of my life. At that age though, I had decided to become serious about it and committed to go to school and study.
'conscious decision' as a theme was me saying to everyone that I wanted to consciously, and conscientiously embrace a way of living that involved art - beyond dabbling and integrating art into the way I live
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'Endless Progression' was a combination of various artworks I have completed around the Pacific Islands of Vanuatu, encompassing landscape and abstract. I also had travelled to different areas of Australia with my Dad producing a series of landscapes.
During the course of 2007 I was looking at particular copper art works that I had completed in 1984.
One was called 'Trippsville'. I did the ink wash 'The Spaceship has Landed' and in doing so I had progressed an item of subject matter that was later to become personally significant.
In 'The Spaceship has Landed' there is a double bed. In that bed there is a nude figure of a pregnant lady. After producing this work, I realised that the face on the pregnant lady looked very similar, if not exactly the same as, the face of the person who encouraged me to do the 'kracked heads' style of work featured in this exhibition some 27 years earlier.
Another copper art work I had completed in 1984 was titled 'Jinks & Barry'. I looked that copper piece and thought to myself that I would like to do an artwork of it - I loved the feel of the characters and of them playing music. A friend of mine once said to me - if I ever was going to pursue an art hobby or career, she would encourage me to use these characters as my signature style....
I feel as though this has been a very intuitive way to work, not consciously realising when I look at the works from a distance that the outcome has been imprinted long before I do the actual work. I had started out earlier in my life and had arrived back at this starting point after my travels, journey of learning and trying different styles.
It truly was, an 'endless progression'....
Next year (2009) I will be hosting my third exhibition. I think this will be a good period of time for me to get another set of new works together, and even more special as I turn 50. It will encompass a series on the Solomon Islands and to wherever else my travels take me within the next year.
Having said this - I always travel with no expectations.
You never know where 'it' will take you.