Metamorphosis

Oil painting of the artist Ken Raff who is recognized mostly by his extensive public sculptures displayed around North East Victoria, yet not many people know he was one of the key contributors to the creation of GIGS Art Gallery and Studios, a not-for-profit organisation run by volunteers. For over a decade, GIGS Artists Studios has been my safe haven where I have been able to explore my artistic practice and develop my own style, thanks to vital artists such as Ken Raff.

Raff’s works are strongly autobiographical and deeply spiritual, expressing through symbol, metaphor and whimsy, his inner responses to different aspects of the world he inhabits. Major themes in Raff’s works include: relationship with land and country, identity, dislocation and disconnection, the tension of opposites, the human condition, beauty, and the spiritual. The painting was directly inspired by Raff's sculptural forms while additionally suggesting this relationship between the material, the physical and the spiritual by the two faces moulded into one warped form.

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I am blessed with being able to work full-time as a professional artist in my studio at GIGS Artists' Studios, Gateway Village, Wodonga. Although I have exhibited regularly I am always exploring new avenues including murals, some of which I've completed locally and abroad.

Two of my great passions in life are the environment and painting. Through painting I question our role in relation with nature as I seek to spread the awareness that the natural world is threatened both directly by human abuse and indirectly by overpopulation. It is obvious that we – modern society – have become increasingly detached from nature and in order to secure a place for future generations (all species alike) it is vital that we tune ourselves in with the environment and regain greater awareness of our planet and thus take better responsibility of it.

I have the belief that artists and art-making has the potential to point out the importance of environmental integrity – through speaking to emotion and passion for nature. Admiration for nature is intrinsic for all of us, yet it is something we deny or neglect through day-to-day living. As artists, we have the capability to connect with society and direct public attention. My work is intended to inspire change that may help sustain a healthy planet.