Throw It to Me! Throw It to Me!

I live in the Maleny area of the beautiful Sunshine Coast Hinterland in Queensland, Australia. The picturesque hillsides and rain forests make this countryside ideal for weddings and celebrations.
In this artwork I am exploring the relationships that we have with flowers, especially the familiar tradition practiced by some cultures in which bridal bouquets are tossed after the wedding. I wanted to capture the anticipation one might experience as the bouquet flies through the air. The excitement, the dream to become reality, the eagerness to catch the bouquet as it appears suspended in time.

The tradition remains but the participants may change. The diagonal design in this abstraction supports this social interaction like an invisible garden trellis. These bouquets have been created with reference to simple homegrown flowers, mostly grown in our country garden at Maleny, and my own photographs. They symbolize love and innocence.

* Selected as a Staff Pick, 7th May 2021.
* Semi-finalist in the Queensland Regional Art Awards 2021, and Online Exhibit.
* Selected Exhibit (National Entries) Little Big Online Exhibition, Aspire Gallery, Paddington Qld., 2022.

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Judi’s art practice includes an eclectic collection of paintings, mixed media, movies, photography, books, and Artist’s books. In 1993 The State Libraries of Victoria and Queensland purchased two of her photo-montage Artist Books: Jurassic Peli (history of the pelican), and Perplexity (environmental hazards for the Gold Coast pelican). Her painting resources are her sketches, photography and film stills, and painting from life.

She is inspired by various aspects of her environment – domestic, cultural, and nature. She was shortlisted for Artist in Residence 2018 at the Brisbane Botanical Gardens, Mt Coot-Tha. During the early 1990's she was Artist in Residence at Jabiru Gallery, Sanctuary Cove, where she tutored, and specialized in painting twenty minute oil portrait sketches for local and international tourists. Since the 1980's she has been commissioned for artworks (subjects such as plants, landscapes and portraits to historical buildings and builders' perspectives) by organizations, state and local governments, small businesses, and private collectors.

Judi lives in picturesque Maleny in Queensland. Her studio has views of hillsides, the Sunshine Coast, and gardens created by her husband - all continual inspirations for her art practice.