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I’m supposed to write stuff about me here so you all think I am professional and conceptually artistic and incredibly wise and worldly. That was never going to happen, so here is a little bit about me that says none of that stuff…
What do I do?
Well, at this moment in my art career, I am an Ink Artist and Printmaker examining mental narratives in a naively illustrative style. My work examines the permanence of our stories while also quietly reminding us of our impermanence within them. It brings forward for examination and reflection those pivotal moments of our lives that are emotional epiphanies, changing the ways in which we view ourselves, our worlds and each other.
I am also owner of Et Al Gallery and Studio in Brisbane, where I work (nonstop) doing all the things you have to do to run a busy Art Gallery. This project came about late in 2022 when I realised there was a need for a gallery on the Northside of Brisbane that would teach artists how to be professional in their art careers on top of exhibiting their artworks and building their portfolios. In the beginning of 2023, I signed the lease on the space we inhabit and the Gallery has been leaping from strength to strength, building community and supporting artists ever since.
Why do I make the Art that I make?
I have a love of the physical processes, deliberate intentionality and logical problem solving activities of printmaking and traditional ink drawing. There is something magical about turning a thought into a design, and then deeply meditative about carving a fresh block of silk cut lino and refreshingly logical about inking and pressing a plate into a print. I am in love with the tactile and physical nature of it all and the way it engages all your senses in creating something from where there was once nothing.
I use a combination of black oil based ink to print the line work of my pieces, and then hand colour a dye based ink (red for this main character) into the artwork after printing. The black in used to make my work is permanent, like our shared experiences persisting over time. The red ink is my own personal mark and is designed to fade over time alluding to the ephemerality of the human condition. The artworks are sprayed with a UV protectant varnish to slow down the fading process, and when I frame them, I also use UV resistant glass, however the fading process cannot be stopped completely and it was never meant to be. Together, these two inks express the idea that our stories last forever, even when we are no longer a part of them.
I have always enjoyed questioning everything, Art, Science and Philosophy are all ways of questioning, reasoning and trying to find answers. As Socrates so famously stated, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Every piece I make is a question and response, it is an examination of a life where every moment is one worth living simply because it was lived.
