Wishing everyone a year full of good things and importantly, good health! Last month I was invited to exhibit at the Poatina Tree Art Gallery in Northern Tasmania as there had been a cancellation for a scheduled exhibition for mid-January through to almost the end of February. Should I accept the invitation? Such an invitation isn’t a matter of saying ‘yes’ or ‘no’, because exhibitions cost money (and time) and require a good deal of preparation. To add to this, I am already committed to another solo exhibition in March that follows a 5-day Coloured Pencil workshop I’m conducting. Framing a c ..read more

Random – 60 x 40 cms. Supracolor & Luminance pencils on Canson paper. Own imagination. Who doesn’t ‘doodle’ now and then? Most of us have done at same stage in our lives. Making marks or drawing patterns on paper, cardboard, or almost any surface is a great way to relax. It’s quite therapeutic. Such drawings can be planned, made up (imagined) or copied. It doesn’t matter how complicated or simple such drawings are, or even their originality. Art mediums vary, but pencils and pens are most popular as they are portable and easy to apply virtually anywhere, whether it be at home, school, on ..read more

Abstract art enjoys a love/hate relationship with art lovers. Coloured pencil abstracts are often shunned for a variety of reasons, primarily due to the medium which doesn’t enjoy the status of paints and pastels. It’s a grim reality that I have faced every time I produce an abstract drawing. Realism in coloured pencil however, enjoys a fairly good relationship with both lovers and buyers of art. Am I mad holding an abstract exhibition in my home city of Launceston? Time will tell. A HINT OF RED ‘DRIFT’ is a collection of drawings based on my observations of objects floating, sinking & su ..read more

I am very honoured to be the feature artist in this month’s (August edition) of Colored Pencil magazine, a high quality production that features articles, artists and promotes all things coloured pencil related. This moth’s focus is on abstract art, a not-so-popular form of expression for most coloured pencil artists, but certainly one that I have enjoyed for decades alongside my more realistic work. It’s great to have such recognition and I hope it encourages other artists who love abstraction to promote their work in (let’s face it) a world dominated by realism. Art is a form of communicati ..read more

Lilydale Falls Last Friday I won the North East Tasmania Arts and Crafts Prize with my coloured pencil and ink drawing of Lilydale Falls. I had previously won this prize in 1994, but this win was particularly special for me. The waterfall in question is about a 30 minute drive from where I live in Launceston (Tasmania, Australia) and is easily accessible. There are 2 waterfalls that require a mere 20 minute combined walk. After heavy rains they are both delightful. The lower falls is more spectacular, but the one above has its own unique character. I have drawn both several times at different ..read more

Some people suffer for their art. There have been occasions when I’ve been one of them. Colour Rush: 60 x80 cms. Supracolor pencils on Canson Framing Board. Own reference. I suffer from arthritis and have done so for almost 2 decades, but it’s only really concerned me over the past 6 years. I had hoped that moving to warmer climates on the Australian Mainland 5 years ago would be of benefit, but alas, it wasn’t. Now I’m back in Tasmania and little has seemed to have changed. The past few years have been particularly challenging. There have been days when I could not even physically hold a penc ..read more

“Lake Barrington Forest Floor 7.” 27 x 40 cms All 24 of the latest Luminance pencils plus a Pitt Pen on 300 gsm Canson cp w/c paper. Own reference. Luminance coloured pencils are my favourite out of the 40 sets of CPs that I own. Being an ambassador for Caran d’Ache in Australia may lead you to believe that I’m paid to have such an opinion, but I can assure you that this isn’t the case. I call things as I see them and I’m never ‘persuaded’ to think otherwise. I was a Luminance fan long before I was asked to be an Australian ambassador and I only accepted the role because I enjoy working with C ..read more

“Approaching Stanley.” Rejected, 1988 TasArt Awards. COVID-19 has resulted in a complete upheaval of our way of life. Currently, isolation is the accepted norm and for how long is anybody’s guess. For some this has provided the opportunity to discover new skills, re-visit practices long-gone from their daily lives, while discovering new opportunities along the way. Long-term social distancing is hard and it’s only going to get harder until a proven vaccine is found and implemented. Boredom has become the number one enemy. For artists and crafts people, this is a perfect opportunity to create a ..read more

The world is currently at war with a silent, but deadly enemy that has up to this point in time, reached almost every country. These are difficult times, indeed scary times and the impact of COVID-19 has already had a monumental impact on our daily lives, with more to come. The really scary part of all that’s occurring is that no-one knows when this will all end and when it does, what the world will look like. One thing is for sure, things will never be the same again! Gardening is great therapy! Recently, I resigned from my represented gallery in Launceston, Gallery Pejean. It was the right t ..read more

This is my first post since returning from the Australian mainland. Moving house, particularly interstate isn’t fun, in fact, it can be rather stressful!After 44 months away I’m finally back in my studio and I’m so happy to return to ‘my’ work space. I’m over ‘pop-up’ studios, but admit that they have their place and are valuable in the short-term. I managed to produce around 200 drawings in a variety of circumstances and I know that I have ‘grown’ as an artist as a result of being out of my comfort zone. But one’s own studio is to be coveted. It’s unique, it’s special, a haven, an area that o ..read more