FEELING HUMBLED
A few weeks ago, I received an email from Westfield announcing that I had been nominated as a Local Hero. This year the finalists will win $5K for their organisation, and the winning amount is $20K. I have completed all the forms and sent all the information and now await the judge's decision on whether I am a finalist. It would be such a privilege to win such an award and to be able to help my organisation and all the artists involved. However, I have so many ideas, and funding is always an issue when looking to implement them. If I am selected as a finalist, the voting will occur in July/August this year.
FUSION
Something very unexpected happened last week. I installed a group exhibition at a new Brunswick West Gallery. Typically it is not unusual for me to be installing a group exhibition; however, this time, the group is a small one and includes two of my friends and ME!
All three of us have very different styles, and I am so pleased it includes three of my larger pieces. Each was inspired by our European family trip in December 2019, just before COVID-19 changed our lives forever.
Each piece brings me happiness and great memories of Milan, Paris and London, and I hope that you will get the chance to visit and experience a little bit of my European trip.
STUDY UPDATE
My study toward a Bachelor of Fine Art is continuing, and I am so pleased that I have already completed my first year, much quicker than planned.
I created an aerial view of my kitchen in one of my units, which is now available in the shop. I called it "Ingredients and a Method" because of the process and elements I chose to represent.
Artist Statement;
"My kitchen is the space in my house that I enjoy spending lots of time in. I love methodically following and testing recipes and the repetition of cutting and dicing. Preparation has a staged process and transforms ingredients into a meal. These repetitive actions and the shapes in the space made me wonder about how I could portray this onto canvas. So I began sketching ideas and carefully colour matching key objects to determine a precise colour palette. By combining these with the other elements, I arrived at Ingredients and a Method".
I have been exploring and testing different mediums, and the last term, I enjoyed an elective Physical Geography unit. I learned so much and am developing some great ideas for my art practice moving forward.
ART PRACTICE
I am currently working on a few ideas, and while the hard edge element will remain, I am exploring the idea of adding an element of realism. To give the works another perspective, I am also playing with the idea of including a connection to Aphantasia. Having a condition that only affects 2-3% of the population, I feel it is important to portray how my art practice differs from other artists. To give you an insight into this condition and how it affects my life, I invite you to read a blog written by me and published a few weeks ago on the MAVA Inc. website (The NFP Art Organisation that I founded).
WRITING
Writing is something that I have always enjoyed, but I always found it difficult to express my thoughts in a structured manner. Since I started studying, I have had to write many essays and am surprised at how quickly my writing has improved. In addition, the opportunity to write several blogs for MAVA Inc. has allowed me to practice what I am learning. Last week I wrote about Contemporary Art and how important context is when viewing art. If you would like to read it, click here.
Thank you for showing your support for me and my creative practice, and I look forward to sharing a little about my journey the next time I get to share some news.