place

‘To make art is to make place’ is a concept that captures me. A deep association with the historical and physical place, has been the motivation for my art making. This sense of place became the focus of investigation during my research.

A new way of seeing enabled me to better understand ‘place’ as both literal, ie; familiar and historical, and also intangible, ie; drawn from emotions and a knowing, that transcribes to my mark making and drawing.

I now see drawing as an intransitive act, both through the studio processes and through research. Drawing is an act in it’s becoming, and therefore is a paradigm of those two processes.

My artists of influence during this shift were Brice Marden, Cy Twombly, Sylvia Baachli, Roni Horn, and Wade Guyton, plus Max Gimblett and Ralph Hotere.

My curiosity was sated by writers, Dean & Millar (Artworks Place), Rudi Pallassma (The thinking hand), Simon Schama (Landscape & Memory), and Jacques Derrida (Memoirs of the Blind), who enhanced my understanding of art making, processes, and place, from both inner and outer views. These concepts with their multi faceted perspectives, continue to be a process of discovery for me as a practicing artist.

I conclude place and its complexities to be only part of where I draw from, and as with the shifting tide receding and advancing, so too my concepts and understanding will continue to alter and shift.