Exhibition Home

Exhibition Catalogue

Artist CV

My work is concerned with the observation of objects and events which occur around me. In many cases the ideas are the result of many related observations over many years which are processed in the memory, the conclusion appearing as the idea for a work.

Thus each work is a reflection of things that have struck me as interesting over a period, some of which are large and obvious, some of which are small details of life. My aim in making the works is to communicate to the viewer what has intrigued me about each subject and to perhaps enlarge their own perception of those subjects.

‘Compromise’ shows two elements with entirely different characteristics, starting at odds to each other, and gradually coming to terms with each other until they manage to arrive at a point where they are running together.

‘Creepy Creeper’ expresses the what I have always felt when looking at a creeping plant with tendrils reaching out into space, feeling for something on which to grip. They always seemed to be almost human, sharing something with a blind person feeling his way in strange surroundings.

‘Cynic’ was inspired by Malcolm Fraser’s face when he was Prime Minister. It tries to express the sour character of the cynic through its planes and angles.

‘Drift’ is similar to ‘Smoulder’, but extends the idea by introducing a faint breeze which pushes the smoke sideways.

‘Family’ expresses the idea that it is the affection of the parents to each other that is the basis for the security of the child. If the child feels that the parents like each other, this is much more important in creating a feeling of security than any amount of material possessions.

‘Balance of Life’ expresses how the bureaucratic and organisational parts of our society outweigh the emotional and aesthetic elements. Even with a shorted arm, the hard edged, brass, rectangular end and overbalances the curly, rounded copper end

‘Bushfire’ expresses the leap of the flames merging into the pall of black smoke driven by the wind. It is all formed out of a single sheet of bronze manipulated to give the feeling of three dimensions from both sides as well as the forward rush of the fire.

‘She Goes Like a Beaut’ deals with the connection between fast, expensive cars and sex . The car body is a female torso with the breasts as roll bars and the hips as bonnet. The man sits comfortably in the middle. There is a strange connection and contrast between the hard, practical engineering and the sensuous styling which go into automotive design.

‘Hairdo I’ suggests an exotic hair arrangement projecting at odd angles from the head. It expresses the feminine urge to make themselves stand out from the crowd and attract attention.

‘Hairdo II’ works with women’s instinct to make themselves attractive even when they need to get their hair out of the way. The winding of the long plait around the head forms a kind of crown. The negative/positive head focusses attention on the plait.

‘Kiss’ attempts to show how nothing matters except the point of contact during a good kiss. The rest of the head and the other senses become unimportant at the moment.

‘Mountain’ tries to express the clean facets of a snowy mountain projecting up beyond its tree covered slopes. It uses the contrast between the silvery stainless steel and the green patinated copper to depict the pristine snow and the texture of the trees.

‘Personal Demons – 4 am’ is the feeling I get when I wake at 4 in the morning. Everything seems to be at its worst then. Memories, regrets, things forgotten and things to do seem to crowd in and drive sleep away. When morning comes it never seems as bad as at 4 am.

‘Sleeping Cat’ was inspired by an old tomcat which used to sleep in the sun on top of a back fence, apparently quite comfortable on a fencepost and rail. This cat is more comfortably placed but reflects the cat’s ability to make itself comfortable, whatever the opportunity. The cushion is part of the sculpture.

‘Surfer’ expresses the power of the wave to squeeze the surfer forward along its length, ahead of the break. The figure is growing out of the wave, rather than imposing itself on the wave

‘To Sleep, Perchance to Dream’ deals with thoughts before sleep turning into strange dreams, or dreams forming from thoughts lurking in the subconscious and making their weird appearance in the middle of sleep.

‘Windblown Tree’ was inspired by melaleuca trees I know where I spend summer holidays at the beach. They lean down under the force of the prevailing wind and hang on in horizontal attitudes.

‘Ponytail’ is an attempt to produce a 3 dimensional work with a single continuous copper rod, rather like a 3 dimensional line drawing. At the same time it expresses something of how a woman enhances her appearance with the bow on her hair.

‘Running in the Rain’ expresses how a person running through a rainstorm gets soaked and, as he runs, becomes defined by the rain he is trying to escape.

‘Smoulder’ depicts a ribbon of smoke from a dying fire rising gently on its own column of warm air. It is an attempt to capture in solid and immovable bronze a phenomenon which is essentially extremely ephemeral.

‘Struggle With Disability’ was inspired by a very disabled woman who approached me to ask if sculptors have done, or would do, works which deal with human disability. I tried to organise a show of such works, but failed, due to the resistance of disability organisations. After seeing the effort disabled people put into making their lives work, this was my response

Arguement

Autobiography

Bikini Bottom

Caterpillar

Clouded Moon

Consensus

Decolletage

Difference of Opinion

Global Warming

Gossip

Life Choice

Majority

Migration

Mini Skirt

Page 3 Girl

Purdah

Rain on Water

Rush Hour

Serpent

Slam Dunk

Slide

Surfer

The Body Beautiful

The Hat

All artwork is for sale, Price on Application or obtain a price list at the gallery.

If you are interested in purchasing any of the above artworks, please phone the gallery on
+61 2 4926 3899, or email us at mail@cookshill.com or complete our Art Interest Form.