Once in a while it is necessary to leave behind what no longer feels aligned with body, spirit, soul and mind. It's a kind of crossroads. Stay with the old, or feel the discomfort and heed the new direction that is beckoning at the edge of awareness.
Over the last couple of months my art practice has been stripped right back. The new direction that has been beckoning involves a deeper and more visceral engagement with the materials I am using. I have literally been digging clay from a building site (with permission and help from the digger driver) to make paint with.
I have also been working on a series made with crushed charcoal from a ritual fire on the banks of the Ōtaki river. And I have sourced natural and non-toxic earth pigments and mediums from a company in the USA who buy their products only from sustainable family-owned businesses around the world.
Simplicity, visceral intimacy with materials, full-body movement, and an element of ritual are all part of my new practice.
To enquire about viewing or purchasing artworks please go to the contact page.
Above: detail from "Cauldron of Transformation". Crushed charcoal, Muriwai iron-sand and natural earth pigments on Fabriano paper. 100 cm (h) x 70 cm (w). Unframed.
Left: Charcoal from a ritual fire and works made with it, including "Cauldron of Transformation".