Rat

I am really enjoying ceramics.
We have had Rats in the ceiling!  Couldn't catch them, so decided to poison them.  One took the bait, but died between the ceiling and the top floor of the house - in a place we could not reach!  The decomposing rat smell has been a feature of our place for the last month or so.  This is a tribute to our Rat.
I don't like killing creatures.

At one point this rat was part of a 'shrine' to the memory of the rat... surrounded in daffodils and other bits and pieces on our hearth-as we encouraged the rat on its way... where do rat spirits go?

Sinister man

Having a day catching up on posting new work!  Partly desperation...due to school holidays being over!  This painting was done a while ago.  I like his slightly sinister undertones...are the red circles happy like balloons at a party OR are they like dribbling gunshot wounds?

Country kids

Just finished this painting for the Taranaki Art Review.  It is a about a time when kids roamed in the country, poked dead things with sticks, believed in the Easter Bunny and that inanimate objects could have life.... like the branch that you sit astride and it could be a horse  or a stick that becomes King Arthur's sword!  The rabbit is a small statue that lives on my stereo.  In fact there is a pair of them.... sitting watchful over the kitchen.  I just had to include the rabbit in the painting!

Twisted little creatures

Recently I have started "rescuing" soft toys that are languishing in second hand shops. I give them new faces and add quirky bits to give them character. The only problem is that the house is now filling up with these 'friends'....AND I do not like soft toys......BUT I do like these little friends. These are two recent ones. The cat is 'Growltiger'. Can't think of a name for the 'pretty chick thing'.  Hey!  Maybe that is it's name!  Sorry they are sideways.  Couldn't for the life of me work out how to rotate the image .

Quirky little certificates

For work I have been designing new certificates to give out at the team assemblies to students.  I really enjoyed working with watercolours and ink again.  I tried to add odd little touches, like giving the materials student very sharp scissors not held the correct way.  I did mine first-the visual arts one.  I am not so happy with mine and intend to try it again soon.

Bloody good dog!

One of my first works in clay.  Clay is such a treat to work with!  I love how even after a piece is fired and glazed... if you pick it up it will fit your hand like a part of you...it still fits into the grooves where you held it as you made it... An extension of you. Your hand will fit naturally into the places where it was held  as you made it. So it is like two parts of a puzzle coming together to make a whole- the creater and the created.

'Bloody good dog' has a school attendance medal attached to his collar.  It's the sort they used to give out to students who attended school without fail.  The dog wearing this attendance medal brings up for me issues of faithfulness and loyalty...

blind faith to a system or an owner. 

That has positive and negative undertones.

July 5 2011- I look back at this work now and can see how far on my new clay work has come.  Still dogs and creatures. This work was a major shift in focus in the media I used.  I was a painter...and may be again.....but working with a living thing..like clay and reworking its shape (like a shapeshifter) is so cool.

Delayed start -due to swine Flu @ our place!

Hmm. Wanted to add to this blog frequently once I started it.  But my daughter and I have been sick with swine flu !  Interesting trip.  Just finished this commission  for Jeanette for her sister- Tina's birthday.  Tina is keen on bowling.  It is an older painting style and I was interested in the fact I could still do this style (that she requested) after a number of years. Maybe I should stick to painting like this?  This is the style people frequently ask for.  I have lost touch with what people like.  That is why I have started the blog.  Hopefully I will get feedback on the direction to take that connects with people.

A start!

I have started this Blog as a place to post new work between exhibitions.  A place to get feedback on new work and directions.  Watch this space, as I find my feet!