Exhibitions 2021-2024
BUS TO CADAQUÉS. Soft pastel on sanded paper, framed. 50 x 70 cm. $850.00
A perilous journey with an erratic driver, steep and narrow winding roads, and the fear of death at any moment. Luckily, an unscheduled stop at the peak of the hills overlooking Cadaqués gave me the consolation of a view to die for.
CADAQUÉS, CATALONIA. Oil on canvas, framed. 51 x 76.2 cm. $1,200
On arrival, a statue of Salvador Dali mocked my nerves with a nonchalant stance - cigar, hat and legs crossed. For this was where he and his friend Pablo Picasso hung out away from the city. The thought of those two rogues of the art world at loose among the fishing boats coloured my perception I suppose: a dark sea, a storm coming, waves picking up. Time to get the bus back to Barcelona.
IRENE OF ROME. After Luca Giordano (Saint Sebastian being cured by Irene, c. 1653) Oil on canvas, framed. 60 x 45 cm. $850.00
Sebastian was a soldier in the Roman army who dared to question the so-called Christian morality of his generals in the face of brutal warfare, massacre and subjugation. This did not go down too well with his superiors and Sebastian was tied to a tree, shot full of arrows and left for dead. Irene of Rome took him down, removed the arrows and nursed Sebastian back to life.
We see her face reddened by tears, her expression one of heartfelt care and compassion, yet also abject fear. Her fear was justified, for as soon as Sebastian was well he continued to berate his Roman generals for their lack of morality. This time they had him beaten to death and his body thrown into the Roman sewer. This painting is a homage to the carers who take no sides and risk all in times of war.
This painting is still on display at Cyrus' Art Lounge in Carlton and 25% of the proceeds from its sale will be donated to World Central Kitchen.
THE PAINTER. After Artemisia Gentileschi (Self Portrait as the Allegory of Painting La Pittura), 1638-9). Soft pastel on sanded paper. 70 x 50 cm. $850.00
WOMAN DRYING HER HAIR. After Edgar Degas (Femme à la baignoire se coiffant, c. 1862). Soft pastel on sanded paper. 70 x 50 cm. $850.00
PORT FAIRY. Soft pastel on sanded paper, framed. 70 x 50 cm. $850.00
THE SEVEN SISTERS. Oil on wood panel, framed. 61 x 76.2 cm. $1,200.
THE RIVER COLNE, ESSEX. Soft pastel on sanded paper. 70 x 50 cm, framed. $850.00
NINETY MILE BEACH. Oil on canvas board, framed. 30 x 45 cm x 2. $350.00
YOUNG BURMESE WOMAN. Acrylic on canvas board, framed. 60 x 45 cm. $500
In February 2021 the military in Myanmar staged a coup, ending a decade of a tentative steering towards democracy under the troubled yet unifying leadership of Aung San Suu Kyi.
Prominent among the resistors to military aggression and violence were young women, most notably a teenager Kyal Sin who was killed on 3 March 2021. She was one of 60 civilians who lost their lives in the first month of the coup, more than a third of them teenagers.
This painting of a young Burmese woman hopefully reveals the spirit of civilian and female defiance.
BUS STOP, YANGON. Oil on canvas, framed. 45.2 x 91.6 cm. $850.00
PADAUK, NATIONAL FLOWER OF BURMA. Acrylic and oil on canvas, unframed. 90 x 90 cm. $1,500
This painting of the national flower of Myanmar is rendered in the colours of the Myanmar national flag, minus the white star which represents the military, replaced with the gold of Buddhist pagodas.
RAVENSEAT FARM, YORKSHIRE. Soft pastel on sanded paper, framed. 70 x 50 cm. $850.00
LAKE MUNGO. Oil on canvas, framed. 50.5 x 75 cm. $1,200
MOYNE RIVER MARSHES. Soft pastel on sanded paper. 70 x 50 cm. SOLD
ESSEX MARSHES, Oil on canvas, framed. 61 x 75.2 cm. $1,200
We all have a country we call our own. This is mine: the pale skies, reeds and marshes of the English east coast. An ever-changing land and seascape that has been the soft underbelly for invading armies throughout history. It is the home of seabirds who raise a cacophony of shrill calls like a thousand alarm clocks when a falcon appears, and fall silent as dusk sweeps in as smooth as a silken shroud.
As a boy I cycled the causeways and walked the footpaths, always wary of the rising tide stealthily lapping at my heels, the glistening mud indistinguishable from the silvery sea in the rising or the lowering watery sun.
Magnet Galleries, Docklands, Melbourne, 2021
Pastel sketches and oil paintings of Yangon street scenes to accompany an exhibition of photographs by Tim Webster in support of the Victoria Myanmar Youth after the February 2021 military coup in Myanmar.
Gallery Central, Nhill, central Victoria 2022
Pastel sketches and oil paintings of Yangon street scenes with proceeds from sales contributing to the Nhill Learning Centre and Paw Po Products in Nhill dedicated to the support of Burmese Karen refugees resident in the town.
Goat Gallery, Natimuk, central Victoria 2022
Oil paintings depicting landscapes of my life and travels, including views of Mt Arapiles, an iconic drawcard for rock climbers from around the world.
