There is nothing in this world more perfectly matched then skulls and vintage lace…

There is nothing in this world more perfectly matched then skulls and vintage lace…


I have a god-daughter turning 17 soon; 🎁 time. So, I decided to make her a journal and pair it with a beautiful fountain pen.
The considerations for functionality, were, to put it mildly, bloody annoying!
Have you every tried to write on a bumpy, uneven surface? Not one of the most pleasurable, or easy of tasks. I needed to keep the cover as flat as possible and not use any bulky embellishments in the cover’s construction.
And so…frustratingly, my usual creation and layering process had to be repressed.
Definitely not an easy business, for when I create, I completely lose myself in the ‘flow’. Hopelessly, I succumb to my artistic state and then I am lost to it and in it. However, this time, I had to resist and stand a little further back from the lure of the ‘flow’ and so, I had to ‘do’ less and ‘think’ more…oh, the horror.
(Back Cover)

(Inner front page)


When someone I hold dear, asks me for something of the arty persuasion, they truly know, not, what they do.
[…] because:
a) I have trouble saying that word…you know, that word, the one opposite to ‘no’.
AND
b) I don’t, ever, ever, ever, ever do things by halves. In fact, I may be known to go, well & truly, over-board. All of the times.
Every.Time.
Soooo, one of my teacher friends wanted a name plaque/artwork proclaiming the title of the room’s occupant.
I.did.not.disappoint.
However, maybe, just maybe, the required function of this object, may have (just a touch…) gotten way-laid; and when I say way-laid, I mean, gone beyond all hope.
*shrugs*
Oh, well.
I recently demolished a VERY old Jarrah chest-of-drawers; it was over a 100 years old. Wait, before you start, It was very broken & rickety…don’t worry, I’m not a complete heathen!
But I didn’t throw out a single scrap or even a splinter. There’s some quite large boards, all beautifully stained & distressed from a century of use.
Such a perfect blank canvas for me.
Soooo, what to do, what to do?!
Well, I guess I’ll just start, here goes…




The owner of the commissioned piece I’m working on at the moment, loves butterflies 🦋. Particularly Monarchs. She wanted them included in the piece.
Annnd so, I made some Monarchs. I think they turned out quite well…

‘GENESIS’
(2018)
Mixed Media; Collage on wooden palette
Artists are elusive creatures. Her chaotic, crazy, impulsive brain is the birth place of many weird & wonderful ideas; the wholeprocess is a little bit magical really.
No one can quantify the creative brain. It remains a mystery to the other 98% inhabiting this planet, alongside those that create.
How would an artist go about explaining their process verbally? Are there words that adequately describe the electric tang of creation? How would one visually represent, symbolically represent the artist?Their process? The ‘Genesis’ of creation?
GENESIS’ work-in-progress (2018)
MIXED MEDIA: found-object sculptural installation.


Once the composition is finished, I’ll ensure everything is painted one of the many shades of pitch-black, effectively tying all the different aspects together.
Then I’ll buff, burnish and accent till my heart’s content (*hint: it’s never content…)
And using rhinestones to finish it off; adding a little twinkley-sparkle, and then, because I, well, always… will add just a touch more. Because I can’t help myself. And yes, I’m aware of what I am…

Final touches all applied…finally finished. Just need to seal and varnish. Super satisfying to get something completed in the midst of kiddy chaos!
‘Gentrification’ (2018)
Sculpture Installation





There’s something thrilling about immersing yourself in a new artwork; perhaps it’s the potential…