ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS
The theme around current environmental issues is one I enjoy exploring through my paintings, I hope to raise greater awareness and spark much needed discussions.
Below are paintings I have completed in around this topic. The original paintings are not for sale. Reproductions are available on some of the works below. If you are interested in having an artwork commissioned in this style, or would like to see any of the artworks made available as a print, please get in touch or follow the link below.
PYRRHIC VICTORY
Available as a reproduction
Pyrrhic victory loosely translates to victory at great cost. It interrogates the idea of our growing demand for housing and retail development at the cost of the natural environment. It is a much needed conversation starter around the pressing topic of development, to raise awareness and increase engagement in finding the fine balance to prevent the continued loss of our natural environment.
When viewed from a distance is features a laughing kookaburra sitting on a log set against a wallpapered background. On closer inspection, the finer wing and body detail are revealed. The wing detail includes houses and skyscrapers, with cut down trees and native Australian animals on the body. It has a two-fold meaning, firstly symbolising the clearing of vegetation for our growing housing and retail space, as we are creating more homes and growing our economy for human needs, we are displacing wildlife forcing them out of their homes. And secondly the body can be seen as representing the earth and the wing as an artificial covering over it. The background patterning resembles wallpaper and is made up of Australian flora, with grevillea flowers and leaves, and dianella and eucalypt flowers. It represents the colonial legacy and how it influences our view of the natural world.
Date completed: 11 03 2020
Size: 76.4 cm X 60.9 cm
Media: Acrylic and posca markers on canvas
PROGRESSIVE EXPANSION
Available as a reproduction
This piece is titled 'progressive expansion' and challenges our continuous drive for urban and agricultural growth resulting in the growing impact on the natural environment. It's a great conversation starter to debate how much growth is too much, and whether current practices are the best in the long term.
From a distance, the painting is of an Australian wood duck standing on a tree stump. On closer inspection, there is finer detail throughout the wood duck. The head features a forest. Extending down onto the body are several tree stumps, wallabies jumping and forestry machinery. The wing and remainder of it's body show a built up area overlooking a field of crops. To add to the theme, the background patterning resembles wallpaper made up of grevillea flowers and leaves, as well as dianella and eucalypt flowers. It represents the colonial legacy and how it influences our view of the natural world.
Date completed: 24 04 2020
Size: 76.4 cm X 60.9 cm
Media: Acrylic and posca markers on canvas
CREATIVE DESTRUCTION
Available as a reproduction
Creative destruction is an economic term which can be loosely interpreted as the purposeful destruction to bring down the old and make room for the new. This term seems fitting with current environmental off-set practices which involve the cycle of removal re-establishment of vegetation to make way for new urban and agricultural growth. It encourages discussions to challenge the notion, and whether it truly is achieving its purpose.
From a distance, the painting is of a bush stone-curlew. On closer inspection, there is finer detail throughout the bush stone-curlew. Towards the back area are houses and other buildings, the front of the body features a cut down forest. The wing detail features a mature forest, with re-vegetation efforts in front of the forest, and a crowd of onlookers in the feather detail. To add to the theme, the background patterning resembles wallpaper made up of grevillea flowers and leaves, as well as dianella and eucalypt flowers. It represents the colonial legacy and how it influences our view of the natural world.
Date completed: 04 12 2020
Size: 76.4 cm X 60.9 cm
Media: Acrylic and posca markers on canvas
MUNDANE LUDICRACY - 2ND EDITION
This piece is titled 'Mundane ludicracy' and interogates the idea that continuous growth has become an almost mundane activity where the environmental toll is an inconsequential occurence. It is likened to a sewing project where the old decorations are no longer suitable, and are easily replaced by something new/better without consequence.
The top left corner depicts a forest, with tree stumps towards the centre turning into a decorative piece which is easily unpicked and removed. The top right corner depicts a suburban setting that again become decorative features sewn onto fabric as the unwanted tree stumps are unpicked and removed. The fabric folds, pair of scissors and quick unpick add to the sewing project theme.
Date completed: 19 02 2023
Size: 60.9 cm X 121.8 cm
Media: Acrylic and posca markers on canvas
LITTLE BOXES
This painting shows the continued need for more space and tree clearing required to build our little boxes. It questions our current development practices, infill development and the spaces we are creating, and how we are removing animal homes as we are making more for us.
The painting largely consists of similar looking houses on small blocks. The bottom left hand corner shows an empty space ready to be filled, with a tree cut down to make way, and a little koala sitting on the tree stump.
Date completed: 16 02 2020
Size: 60.9 cm X121.8 cm
Media: Acrylic and posca markers on canvas
DOMESTICATING THE WILD
Domesticating the wild considers the relationship between humans and wildlife in the urban environment. It explores concepts such as displacement and resource competition between humans and wildlife.
Date completed: 03 12 2022
Size: 91.5 cm x 61 cm
Media: Acrylic and posca markers on canvas
ENCROACHMENT
This painting explores the relationship between urban encroachment and the natural environment, and the resulting displacement and resource competition of wildlife that results.
Date completed: 04.12.2022
Size: 91.5 cm x 61 cm
Media: Acrylic and posca markers on canvas
REPLACED
The contrasting palette used in this painting highlights the stark differences between many urban and natural environments. Through the use of colour and imagery, complex topics such as displacement, replacement and loss of biodiversity are explored.
Date completed:
Size: 61 cm x 61 cm
Media: Acrylic and posca markers on canvas
ANTAGONISTIC CONTRADICTION 1 - EASTERN WATER DRAGON
Available as a reproduction
This piece is a great conversation starter around the complexity of environmental issues faced by our natural environment from human development. Our relationship with animals in the urban environment and developed landscape can at times be a contentious one, one where humans and the rest of the animal kingdom are competing for resources and space. Which raises questions about our relationship, and whether our modern needs are compatible with the natural environment, and to what extent.
It forms part of a series of three contemporary paintings titled Antagonistic contradiction, filled with symbolism and intricate details, asking the viewer to consider the full spatial extent, from the ground to the sky. The Eastern Water Dragon is layered on to an aerial view of an urban landscape neatly fitted into a residential type landscape. The featuring of an Eastern Water Dragon is for the viewer to consider the view point of a ground dwelling creature when trying to navigated the fragmented landscape faced with vast areas of concrete/asphalt.
Date completed: 15.01.2023
Size: 61 cm x 61 cm
Media: Acrylic and posca marker on canvas
ANTAGONISTIC CONTRADICTION 2 - KOALA
Available as a reproduction
This piece is a great conversation starter around the complexity of environmental issues faced by our natural environment from human development. Our relationship with animals in the urban environment and developed landscape can at times be a contentious one, one where humans and the rest of the animal kingdom are competing for resources and space. Which raises questions about our relationship, and whether our modern needs are compatible with the natural environment, and to what extent.
It forms part of a series of three contemporary paintings titled Antagonistic contradiction, filled with symbolism and intricate details, asking the viewer to consider the full spatial extent, from the ground to the sky. The koala is layered on to an aerial view of an urban landscape neatly fitted into a residential type landscape. The featuring of a koala is for the viewer to consider the view point of a tree dwelling creatures when moving between trees in an urban landscape where numerous trees have been removed to make way for development.
Date completed: 01.01.2023
Size: 61 cm x 61 cm
Media: Acrylic and posca markers on canvas
ANTAGONISTIC CONTRADICTION 3 - SULPHER CRESTED COCKATOO
Available as a reproduction
This piece is a great conversation starter around the complexity of environmental issues faced by our natural environment from human development. Our relationship with animals in the urban environment and developed landscape can at times be a contentious one, one where humans and the rest of the animal kingdom are competing for resources and space. Which raises questions about our relationship, and whether our modern needs are compatible with the natural environment, and to what extent.
It forms part of a series of three contemporary paintings titled Antagonistic contradiction, filled with symbolism and intricate details, asking the viewer to consider the full spatial extent, from the ground to the sky. The Sulpher Crested Cockatoo is layered on to an aerial view of an urban landscape neatly fitted into a residential type landscape. The featuring of a Sulpher Crested Cockatoo is for the viewer to consider the view point from the sky when creatures approach once fruitful feeding grounds which are increasingly encroached on by the developed landscape.
Date completed: 09.01.2023
Size: 61 cm x 61 cm
Media: Acrylic and posca marker on canvas
FOREST - BROWN/ORANGE
My forest paintings are inspired from their appearance in several of my paintings in this collection. I enjoy trying different designs and colour combinations.
Date completed: 09 12 2020
Size: A2
Media: Acrylic and posca markers on paper
HOUSES - BLUE
My little houses paintings are inspired from their appearance in several of my paintings in this collection. I enjoy trying different designs and colour combinations.
Date completed: 15 11 2020
Size: A2
Media: Acrylic and posca markers on paper
HOUSES - RED
My little houses paintings are inspired from their appearance in several of my paintings in this collection. I enjoy trying different designs and colour combinations.
Date completed: 13 12 2020
Size: A2
Media: Acrylic and posca markers on paper
LOGGERHEAD TURTLE
The painting features a loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) with images of different threats in the background. The loggerhead turtle is listed as a vulnerable species on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red list, and is a threatened species in Australia. Threats include light pollution, boat strike, entanglement in crab pots and marine debris, and ingestion of human litter that has found it's way into the ocean environment.
Date completed: 2017
Size: 40 cm X 40 cm
Media: Acrylic and marker on stretched canvas
BRIDLED NAIL-TAIL WALLABY
The painting features a Bridled nail-tail wallaby (Onychogalea fraenata) with images of different threats in the background. It is a threatened species in Australia, and listed as endangered. Threats include hunting in the early 1900's, clearing of native vegetation that results in habitat loss and modification, and predation by introduces species.
Date completed: 2017
Size: 40 cm X 40 cm
Media: Acrylic and marker on stretched canvas
KOALA
The painting features a koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) with images of different threats in the background. It is a threatened species in Australia, and listed as vulnerable. Threats to koalas include loss of habitat often from development, cars, dogs and stress related diseases.
Date completed: 2017
Size: 40 cm X 40 cm
Media: Acrylic and marker on stretched canvas