Currawong Sing -a-long

This energetic Currawong artwork celebrates my love of drawing. I am using this time in isolation to push my artistic boundaries and do a little experimentation so that my work doesn't get stale.

This piece features the Currawong who lives in the giant Fig tree in my neighbour's backyard. I can hear him singing all the time now, especially since the aircraft noise has decreased this week. (I live under the flight path).

The work itself features lots of gestural marks and line drawing with various mediums including; pen, pencil, ink, collage and watercolour. It is free and expressive and my intention is to capture and channel those vibes for mental wellbeing (mine and the viewers).

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I’ve been making art for most of my life, though the path here hasn’t been completely straightforward. What was meant to be a one-year trip from the UK to Sydney in 1994 somehow turned into a permanent move, and Australia has felt like home ever since.
A lot of my work begins outdoors; walking, noticing plants growing through fences, strange colour combinations in nature, or bringing home flowers and cuttings to paint in the studio. Painting has always been a way for me to slow down and pay attention. It’s where I feel most myself.
Before returning to painting full-time in 2015, I worked across surface pattern design, printmaking and graphic design, and those influences still shape the way I paint today; through colour, rhythm, line and composition. I’m also deeply inspired by the simplicity and spontaneity of Chinese and Japanese ink painting, calligraphy and woodblock prints, though my work has gradually evolved into something much looser and more contemporary over time.
Since returning to full-time practice, my work has been exhibited in solo and group shows across Australia and selected as a finalist in prizes including the Calleen Art Award, Lethbridge Prize, Bluethumb Art Prize and the National Contemporary Watercolour Prize. My paintings and prints have also been licensed onto homewares and collected internationally.
I still feel genuinely grateful that I get to spend my days painting, and I hope that sense of joy, calm and curiosity finds its way into the work itself.