Modernised Custodians

      Painted Tree Gallery - Northcliffe. September 11th - October 18th

  The Painted Tree Gallery in Northcliffe has a group exhibition this September through to October in 2026 called "Modernised Custodians", that I've been accepted into as a contributing artist. The brief we are all working towards is how technology is affecting community, connection with each other, my own art practice, humanity's progress and the environment - the natural world, be it good or ill.

 I chose to highlight the concept that my art practice hasn't changed since the Neolithic; paintings on cave walls, even with the advent of modern technology. I'm still painting with ochre suspended in honey and resins with watercolours and gouache, and I pretty much have an age old approach to art - mark making on paper. The image I'm using for the reference picture are the caves in Lascaux, France, that are either some of the earliest works of art by European Homosapians or composed by Neanderthals - and if this is the case, to me is a reminder of the fragility of existance and that humanity can go down the same path into oblivion if the pursuit of progress upsets the balance of life on the planet.

  The figure in the painting (a self portrait) is wearing a "Cyber-Brain Helmet", which represents the effects modern technology has on my art practice, the development of the Industrial Age, how medicine and science have helped the course of humanity and longevity. It also ponders the connection we now have with the internet and how it plays host to millions of voices and opinions, the rise of AI and the reminder that we can all unplug from the algorithm - and not feel tied to our devices.

   I question the notion of technology making us smarter; the increased occurrence of illiteracy in schools as they replace books for iPads, the following influencers have on social media, debunking science and sound reasoning, political leaders feeding us a false narrative with the rise of One Nation and the MAGA movement, and the implementation of AI in the corporate world, encouraging us to leave the thinking to machines. The notion of being replaced by Artificial Intelligence as an artist is a concern, but I guess it all comes down to Zeitgeist in the end; whatever resonates with the viewer.

  The folds of the "Brain" have been colonised by moss and fungi, eliminating toxins and bringing back balance to the ecosystem. Im inspired by the fungi found on the walls of Chernobyl, absorbing radiation and neutralising it, thriving in environments uninhabitable by anything else.  I'm also a great believer in the "Stoned Ape" hypothesis - that human development and consciousness was fueled by the use of psilocybin found in hallucinogenic mushrooms, making new neural connections in our brains and expanding our thinking.

   The telephone dial is a reminder that we cannot allow a generation of old people to live illiterate in a digital world - where everything is app based of requires advanced settings from a smart phone, a lot of old people are completely lost. We cant afford to leave them behind in pursuit of the next upgrade.

   Sitting on the shoulder is a Tawney Frogmouth, a native Australian Nightjar, that has the ability to blend in to its surroundings with wonderful camouflage, to resemble a branch or stick - a reminder how our taxing of earths resources and change to climate are affecting the natural world we share. Not everything is worthy of a reaction, sometimes just watching and observing quietly and making your own conclusions has value.

  The pottery bowl has an inscription of a hunting scene that is painted on the cave walls of Lascaux. Pottery is often used to date archaeological digs and can be an accurate measure of time by it's style and composition. In 1000 years time, when archaeologists dig into the layer of earth where we once resided, what will they find? Will our civilisations remnants amount to a layer of plastic? The legacy left behind by our Neolithic ancestors were stunning and vibrant paintings and artifacts. What is the Legacy we wish to leave?

It’s coming up to exhibition time with the Albany Art Groups September Exhibition at the Vancouver Art Centre and the Summer Exhibition at the Albany Town Hall, and I’m happy to announce that my painting of Milkwort and Butterfly was chosen to be showcased by the group and made into posters for the upcoming exhibition! A great privilege indeed! In the meantime, it’s the beginning of orchid season here at Krickenwood Farm with the blooming of Purple Hovea, White Clematis and Jug Orchids coming up, so I’m busily cataloguing flowers in paint as they make their presence felt around the place, lots more Blue Banded Bees and Mardos (Yellow Footed Antechinas) and other critters on the drawing board so I’ll share pictures as they’re completed.

Narrikup Monthly Markets coming up and with these new A5 picture frames, Ive been working on smaller pictures in gouache and ink as studies for a bigger picture. I may have to revisit the cartoon bugs of old and play with different expressions and poses that I can imagine them taking.

  Finally finished this little guy, I think I’m developing a series of bugs - insects in their environments. I’m fascinated by Dragonfly’s..starting as a larval nymph dragging itself out of the water to leave a desicated shell and transform into a master of flight..spinning mid air on a dime and darting over Lilly pads. Native American Indians saw it as a guardian of the Spirit World and I can see why, the way they capture light reflected in their wings brings out the magical to any visit to the wetlands and rivers.