Artist Statement

My fascination with the beauty and sensuality of flowers and fruit has for many years been a source of inspiration for my paintings. The textures and delicacy of the forms, the drama of the light and shadows cast within and around the subject, the luscious hues, the dramatic contours, and the allure of ripe, juicy flesh.

The progression to figurative work was inevitable, the catalyst of which was viewing for the first time, the magnificent works of Caravaggio and his contemporaries in 2004. I was moved beyond words. The dramatic chiaroscuro, the softness of sfumato brush work, the luscious skin tones and skilful rendering of the human form. These sensual, emotive paintings struck a chord deep within me that both surprised and delighted me and I yearned to attempt this style of painting in my own work. I researched extensively, work by the masters of the 15th to 17th centuries, and learnt techniques through observation and experimentation and recreating sections of master’s paintings in my Muse Series and other transcriptions.
Last year I was incredibly fortunate to be able to live in Italy for 8 months where I completed formal studies in classical drawing and painting at the Angel Academy, in Florence an Atelier specialising in the style of the Italian masters of the 16th and 17th centuries. My time there was a truly unforgettable experience. I was of course, a regular visitor of the magnificent Galleries and museums that house many great works; often moved to tears by the overwhelming beauty before me. I spent extended periods of time in other cities in Italy and Europe discovering and absorbing as many works by the masters as was humanly possible. In Venice, a magical city, I marvelled at the works of Titian. In Rome I visited many churches and galleries that house Caravaggio’s astonishing paintings and my heart leapt with joy as I gazed upon the magnificence of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling and Last Judgement. I wandered through the breathtakingly beautiful rooms of the Vatican frescoed by Raphael, and experienced countless treasures by many great masters. I spent joy filled hours in the Louvre in Paris, weeping before Leonardo’s masterpieces, and so many other great works that move me. And in London’s National Gallery the experience of standing before so many timeless treasures that I adore was incredibly inspiring.
This series of paintings, the titles of which are lines of poetry by Michelangelo, pay homage to the iconic female portraits and life studies by these great masters, and my desire is to create powerful, emotive images, which are an exploration of the divine and timeless beauty of the female form, and those found in nature.

From the mortal to the divine- after Luini
120 x 100cms
oil on canvas
$5,500