Exhibition -  THE MURRAY DARLING RIVER- AT THE BARMAH

The work has been produced as the result of a journey taken in June 2008 to the Barmah State Forest, which lies between the border of NSW and Victoria. This region is home to the largest River Red Gum population in the world.

“I have created a visual documentation of the region, its landscape, its trees, the birds and flora, much like the first settlers. Unlike the first settlers I am not seeking to entice a  foreign audience to embrace this foreign land, instead I am seeking to create an awareness about a region that we could loose if not protected.  The beauty and energy is highlighted but also the decline of the region which underlies the image with an accompanying text. Science has been the inspiration for the production of prints and written documentation from each location. The grandeur of the Red River Gums, glowing white in the soft grey green woodland, some towering as high as 5m, have inspired my exploration of rich warm colours to paint bulky bold forms of twisting and arching trees.

The bird life has provided more detailed consideration of nature’s form and colour, although abundant in the region, often hard to find. The Murray River itself was a constant source of wonder as I began and ended each day at its side watching the colour change from a glowing pink and yellow to a soft variety of grey, as it flowed constantly and freely between the two states. This is part of an ongoing exploration of the six iconic locations within the Murray Darling Basin which I began with the Coorong in 2006.

I hope this visual journey takes you to a part of the Murray Darling River Basin that you may not have experienced before, and it is my hope that these images do not simply become museum pieces of what once was.”

                        1975     Born Sydney
1994 –  1997 Bachelor of Fine Arts, Honors, College of Fine Arts, UNSW,
2007 –  MFA, College of Fine Arts, UNSW, Sydney

Solo Exhibitions:

2008     The Coorong Series – Gallery East, Clovelly
2007     The Sydney Aquarium – Art meets science Symposium
             The Coorong Series – COFA Space, COFA UNSW, Paddington
2003         Sydney – New York, A – Space on Cleveland, Sydney
2002         The City, Orange NSW
2000         Scotland – Edinburgh and the Highlands, Orange NSW
             The Rocking Horse Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland
1999         Moments in Time, Highland Heritage Estate, Orange NSW
1998         Inaugural Solo, North Shore Fine Art Gallery, Neutral Bay

Selected Group Exhibitions:

2008     The Fleurier Biennale, finalist, South Australia
2008     En Plein Air – Parliament House NSW
2007     Ecology Matters – Gaffa Gallery, Surrey Hills,
2006     PULP – Works on Paper, Global Gallery, Paddington. Sydney
2005     Pearl, -Tsunami Exhibition, Sheffer Gallery, Darlington, Sydney
2004     Colours Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland
                   Art on the Rocks, ASN Gallery , The Rocks , Sydney
2003         Art on the Rocks, ASN Gallery, The Rocks , Sydney
2002         The Red Exhibition, Artizin Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland
             Colours Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland
             Fisher Ghost Art Award, Campbelltown City Art Gallery,
2001     The Highlands, Artizin Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland
2000     The Sable Gallery, Edinburgh Festival Show, Edinburgh, Scotland
             Scottish Landscapes Leith Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland
1998     Fisher Ghost Art Award, Campbeltown City Art Gallery,Campbeltown
             Lloyd Rees Youth Art Award, selected for ABC Centre Exhibition
             Jenny Brit Award, COFA Gallery, UNSW, Paddington
1996     Fresh Sprouts, Arthaus Gallery, Newtown
             Bushweek, COFA Gallery, UNSW, Paddington
1994         Lloyd Rees Youth Art Award, selected for ABC Centre Exhibition

Selected Art Awards:

2002     Ian Potter Cultural Grant, Melbourne
2001         Waverley Art Prize, First Prize
2000     Young Australian of the Year Awards, Nominated for Outstanding achievements Award
             Waverley Art Prize, Commended, Open Section
1998     Nominee Young Australian of the Year Awards, Commendation
1997     Royal Easter Show, Highly Commended; Berrima Young Artist Prize, Commended
             Waverley Art Prize, First Prize; Willoughby Art Prize, First Prize
             Mosman Youth Art Prize, First Prize, Senior painting; Second Prize – Drawing
1995         Mosman Youth Art Prize, Third Prize
1994         Mosman Youth Art Prize, First Prize
             Union Art Prize, UNSW, Commended
             National Tertiary Art Prize, Finalist Tasmania
             Berrima District Art Society Award, Commended
             Waverley Art Prize, Third Prize
1993         Royal Easter Show , Second Prize

Collections:  various private collections, Sydney, USA, Scotland and United Kingdom