Come with me on a journey into the inner life of my subjects. The brilliantly coloured beauty of the Australian seascape and the out of place monochrome figures, resplendent in their hoary, frazzled, stunned-mullet ugliness. When these businessmen are attached to colour it’s wildly out of place: lime-green sand-castle buckets, jolly-pink inflatable rings and umbrellas the colour of boiled lollies.
These figures are usually alone – in many cases disoriented; in some, pathetically attempting to maintain their dignity – but when they are in groups they seem to be conversing in the language of collusion… or boardroom bullshit.
And yet there is enormous space for empathy. Underneath the vampiric gowns and the un-beach-like posture many of my subjects look utterly lost. These are, or represent, the most powerful people in the world – and yet they seem to have no idea what they’re doing or how they got where they are - to their position of influence or ankle-deep in rising oceans (and quite possibly both).
1970 Born. Cairns,Queensland
1988 Studied at the Queensland College of the Arts
Lives in the Blue Mountains with partner, sculptor, Michael Baird
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2020 “Upon reflection” Traffic Jam Galleries. Sydney
2019 “In Favorem Libertatis” South Yarra Art House. Melbourne
2017 “Journey of expectations” Traffic Jam Galleries. Sydney
2016 Works on paper, Art Images Gallery. Adelaide
2016 “Blue sky laws” South Yarra Art House. Melbourne
2015 “Uncharted territory” Traffic Jam Galleries. Sydney
2014 “Seaside reflections” South Yarra Art House. Melbourne
2014 New works, Art Images Gallery. Adelaide
2013 Drawings, Art Images Gallery. Adelaide
2013 ”The Annual Biennial” SOHO Galleries.Sydney
2012 “Searching for a form of Clarity” Art Images Gallery. Adelaide
2012 “The Calling” South Yarra Art House. Melbourne
2011 “Shaping the Post Crisis World” South Yarra Art House. Melbourne
2010 “Syllogism” SOHO Galleries. Sydney
2009 “The Expedition” SOHO Galleries. Sydney
2008 “Figurative paintings” The Gallery Blackheath, Blue Mountains
2007 “Like Lemmings to Water” SOHO Galleries. Sydney
2006 “Morphic Resonance” SOHO Galleries. Sydney
2004 “A journey Without Anchors” SOHO Galleries. Sydney
2003 “Life’s a Beach” Bruce Watling Galleries, Brisbane
1997 “Neo Romantic Nudes” Bruce Watling Galleries, Gold Coast
1996 “The Beach Collection” Sheraton Mirage, Gold Coast
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2014 Kilgour Art prize, Newcastle
2019 Korean Art prize, Sydney
2018 Hunters Hill Art prize, Sydney
2018 “Here,Now, Artists of the central west” Orange Regional Gallery. Orange.
2018 “The Beach”Traffic Jam Galleries, Sydney
2018 “Collectors Edition #5” Blue Mountains Cultural centre
2018 “Fun and Games” Art Images Gallery. Adelaide
2017 Grand opening. Gang Gang Gallery, Lithgow. NSW.
2017 “Artists4.life” Corner gallery, Sydney
2017 “Collectors Edition #4” Blue Mountains Cultural centre
2017 “Untitled” Traffic Jam Galleries, Sydney
2016 “Bathurst affordable art fair” Bathurst Regional Gallery. Bathurst
2016 “Collectors Edition #3” Blue Mountains Cultural centre
2015 “Collectors Edition #2” Blue Mountains Cultural centre
2014 Mosman Art prize, Sydney
2014 “Collectors Edition #1” Blue Mountains Cultural centre
2013 “Ocean light” South Yarra Art House. Melbourne
2012-14 Blacktown City Art Prize, Sydney
2012 “A taste of things to come...” Art Images Gallery. Adelaide
2012 The Legislative assembly. Parliament House. Sydney
2011 The Blake Prize, Directors cut exhibition. Sydney
2010 “Cultural Mix”, Painters Gallery.Mona Vale. Sydney
2009-15 Calleen Art Award. Cowra Regional Gallery. Cowra
2007-14 Blackheath Art Society. Blue Mountains
2008 2 artists, Gallery Blackheath. Blue Mountains
2006 Praxis. Melbourne
2006 Manyung Gallery. Melbourne
2003-12 ART Melbourne. Melbourne
2003 Kings College Art Show. Sydney
2003-10 Riverview. Sydney
2005-14 “All the best” SOHO. Sydney
2005-08 ART Brisbane. Brisbane
2003-13 ART sydney. Sydney
2002 “Urban Realism” SOHO Galleries. Sydney
2002 “Figuratively Speaking” Bruce Watling Galleries. Gold Coast
1993-94 Queensland Arts Council. Cairns
1992 Mareeba Art Society. Mareeba
1985-90 Cairns Art Society.Cairns
AWARDS AND PRIZES
2019 Finalist, Kilgour Art prize. Newcastle Regional Art Gallery N.S.W
2019 Finalist, Korean Art Prize Art exhibition.Sydney N.S.W
2018 Finalist, Hunters Hill Art exhibition. Sydney N.S.W
2018 Finalist, Calleen Art Award. Cowra Regional Gallery Cowra N.S.W
2016 Finalist, Blackheath Art Society.(highly commended)
2015 Finalist, Calleen Art Award. Cowra Regional Gallery, Cowra. N.S.W
2014 Finalist, Mosman Art Prize. Sydney. N.S.W
2014 Finalist, Blackheath Art Society.(highly commended) (peoples choice)
2014 Finalist, Blacktown City Art Prize, Sydney. N.S.W.
2013 Finalist, Calleen Art Award. Cowra Regional Gallery Cowra N.S.W
2013 Finalist, Blackheath Art Society.(highly commended)
2012 Finalist, Blackheath Art Society.(highly commended)
2012 Finalist, Calleen Art Award. Cowra Regional Gallery Cowra N.S.W
2011 Finalist, Calleen Art Award. Cowra Regional Gallery Cowra N.S.W
2011 The Blake Prize, Directors cut exhibition. Sydney
2010 Finalist, Calleen Art Award. Cowra Regional gallery Cowra N.S.W
2009 Finalist, Calleen Art Award. Cowra Regional gallery Cowra N.S.W
2009 Finalist,Blackheath Art Society.(highly commended) (peoples choice)
2008 Finalist,Blackheath Art Society.(highly commended)
2007 Finalist,Blackheath Art Society.(highly commended
