Portraiture is a part of a wider art practise for me. I have always been interested in the human image and how we perceive others. This practise has involved self – portraiture. In my MA I explored a protestant childhood in Adelaide SA in the 50’s exploring the idea of coexisting with difference. Some projects have been about how we read faces or how paintings embody emotion and the expression of the physical body. This is related to an interest in brain laterality and how this is mirrored structurally in painting. Increasingly I have become engaged in how we express ourselves creatively through the senses and I am currently working on projects with some musicians.
My work is in major collections, The National Portrait Gallery (Gay Bilson and Marion Halligan), National Library Visual collection( watercolour books for Kate Llewellyn and Judith Wright poetry, Canberra Writers Centre, Adelaide Uni Students Union collection.
Art Education: 2000 Master of Arts (Fine Art) ANU, 1974 Advanced Diploma of Teaching (Fine Art) SA School of Art and Torrens College of Advanced Education.
Exhibitions Solo:
- 2004 ‘Ordinary People’ Canberra Museum and Gallery
- 2000 Master of Arts ‘Social Fabric’ Canberra Institute of the Arts Gallery, ANU
- 2000 Tilley Divines Celebration of the life of Judith Wright
- 2000 ‘Borderspace with Helen Fuller’, Photomedia Gallery ANU
- 1989 Giles Streetgallery ACT
- 1986 Tynte StGalleryAdelaide
- 1983 Garry Anderson Gallery Sydney
- 1979 Contemporary Art Society of SA
- 1977 Solander gallery Canberra
70 group exhibitions including in 2011 John Copes Watercolour Prize (winner), EMSLA Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery)
Highlights include 2002-3 ‘Sampling Australian Portraiture’ for the opening of Commonwealth Place (National Portrait Gallery) and other NPG exhibition –Chefs and Providores (2004), The Archibald Prize, 2009, Dobell Drawing Prize 2007, Portia Geach 2003 (runner up), 2004, 2009, 2010, Blake Prize 2000 winner of the ANU Drawing prize 1998, Tuggeranong Art Prize 2003 and residencies in Capetown South Africa, Bundanon and Megalo Printmaking workshop ACT.