Let's go for a walk!
Beautiful walks with my daughter, through Australian bushland, nature reserves, parks and around lakes are, where the creative process for my artwork begins. My art pieces for this exhibition are little reflections of the everyday, intertwined within organic forms found in nature.
Monoprinting is a fascinating creative activity. It allows me to take impressions from the surfaces of various materials to convey my interest in lines and patterns, which are observed in plants, animals and the natural environment.
On our regular nature strolls my daughter often points out a great variety of shapes, vein structures in leaves and wonderful surface patterns in plants and other natural objects, which gives me a huge variety of materials to work with. I am inspired by her constant questions about our surrounding and by her interactions with the environment. She takes interest in watching bees sucking nectar from flowers and wallabies eating grass in our backyard. She is often interested in colourful birds and butterflies, she also loves chasing magpies. By observing my daughter, I am provided with constant source of inspiration.
My monotype prints are executed by the layering of colour, plants, threads and stencils. This process involves placing objects on inked plates in a planned composition which often produces an unexpected outcome. The element of surprise in this technique results in an unpredictable dialogue with my artwork. Each print is unique and can never be reproduced. I am interested in the randomness of this technique. I let the materials stimulate my thought and try to use and arrange the surface textures in an expressive way, in order to evoke a particular mood. Natural forms, contrasted with cut or torn out shapes, and overprinting, can produce quite wonderful poetic effects. I have also managed to achieve interesting effects by combining monoprinting with drypoint technique.
Layering technique is central to my work. My prints are composed of layers of colour, various types of materials, shapes and texture. This technique is employed to provide visual interest and encourage the viewer to study my work carefully. Through these layers I am also able to show the elements that are important to the narrative of these art pieces.
I would like to invite you to join me and my daughter on our walks, and let the layers in my work show you a rich source of shapes and forms, that can be found in our natural surroundings.
(The exhibition was on display at Logan City Council in 2013.)
