When I began this painting, I was thinking about kindness. The palette is significant, Green is the colour of the heart chakra. Turquoise is the colour of the throat chakra. Deep blues represent the third eye. There are numerous symbols connected to kindness from the figure with her arms wide open, to the teapot full of tea. The teardrops, red rose, musical notes and angelic beings and a doorway opening to something bright and light and a figure, honouring the moon. I am constantly seeking balance in every way, from the colours to the placement of symbols so that your eye keeps discovering new things.
This painting is a dreamscape about connection to higher realms, and our relationship to it and each other.
The woman at the table with the cake symbolises celebrations. The two animals hugging each other remind us of the need to support each other. The three dogs and three birds represent the animal and bird kingdom on which we humans are having a devastating impact on. The angles need no explanation..they are everywhere in spirit and on the earth. We've just got to tune in to them and to our higher natures.
Holding on and letting go is a constant and unavoidable process. Letting go can be painful and yet, when we can it frees us up to fly.
Here is a woman holding up a web of her "stuff" and taking a good look - and there she is too, flying free, having let go of the things that no longer served her.
This painting took months to create. It's definitely a painting for someone who wants to be reminded to examine their beliefs. It could be in an office or a home. It will certainly generate a lot of conversation which I hope will be good.
This is one of those paintings. I don't want to explain too much about it - I'd much rather you projected your own meanings into it. Suffice to say, dreams are strange and fascinating things.. the royal road, as referred to by Carl Jung. A way of sorting out and processing lots of unfinished or unresolved stuff. Sometimes our dreams puzzle us. Sometimes we know exactly what they mean. Take time to let your eyes meander through the painting and delight in or be curious about the imagery. There are stories everywhere.
My local beach at Curl Curl is an endless inspiration and source of joy. It's a magical place to walk and to swim or surf. Often there are dolphins swimming past. Usually, I will put a dog or two in my paintings but on this occasion, it's dogless. This is a powerful painting and will lock great on a big wall somewhere. I've put several styled photos that show what it will look like on the wall, framed and unframed.
These still life paintings are a little bit surreal - expressive, whimsical, real and unreal. I use the teapots I've made as still life props. I like to give them a second life.
Teapots and tea always evoke comfort for me. I am Scottish, after all! I have a massive collection of them. When I make them, I like to take symbols from other paintings - dogs of course, but also birds and fish, to use as knobs. The images on the side are windows into little scenes from my day to day life. Swimming, walking, watching nature, the work.
This is a collection of stuff that happened to be on the dining table one day. The big round pot is a Moroccan tagine, given to us as a gift. The fruit, the bowls, nicely wonky because I made them a few years ago when I was still learning to throw on the pottery wheel, and a catalogue from Kerrie Lester's fast show all combine it make some delicious colour. I am particularly fond of that pink and brown combo with its rich and warm vibes.
There is no dog in this one, and don't worry, the snake is painted onto the bowl and he is friendly.
Did you know that trees send out signals to each other all the time? They can tell when there is a threat or a resource in the neighbourhood. When one is wounded the others send help.. trees really support each other.
I don't know if they like to be hugged, but I confess to being a bit of a tree hugger. I like to think that they can feel the love and send out love signals to all the others, knowing they are deeply honoured and appreciated.
There is something very warm and joyful about yellow, and this painting brings both qualities and along with some welcoming brightness into any room.
I often think about how things, objects, ornaments etc, carry vibrations with them. I The candlesticks were made last year by me in my first hilarious slip casting project. I loved making them. The cake with the teapot is also part of my ceramic cake gif box body of work. Tea and cake are always comforting. There is my Rumi collection of poems into which I dive regularly for comfort and wisdom. The tinging things whose real name I forget emanate sound and vibration which will supposedly cleanse your space of negative energies. Red dog oil sketch - I liked the colour combo.
While I may be somewhat obsessed with not only teapots and cups but also dogs and dreams, so I have blended them all together in this surreal setting- I do enjoy using pottery I have created in a still life setting.
The teapot is the leader of the pack. It is imagining itself in the leading role. The jug is its "wing man", and they are followed by a herd of colourful cups.
These are all a bit wonky because they are handmade by me on my pottery wheel.
I envision this work as perfect for a café or dinner, but equally, it is an eye-catching warm and humourous painting which would grace any place people gather together over a friendly 'cuppa'.
I love painting from my imagination, and the particular process I use helps me find the thing that want to be expressed. In this case, it is about visualising peace in the world, peace in my heart and trying to hold the line amongst the chaos and complexity of life. The painting depicts a woman meditating. She is focused on the balls of light, visualising in each something she would like to manifest. She is aware of the "monkey mind", the ever-present intrusive chatter in our heads whenever we meditate. Still, she focuses on the light, and her vision of her desired creations, practicing still, focused attention.
I've always been a dreamer, a daydreamer, and a contemplative person, and this painting comes from that place. You can see it on a couple of levels. Firstly, it is a lovely colourful peaceful painting that reminds us to slow down and contemplate. The symbols of the dog (companionship), fire (warmth) water, mountains, and evening star, are about the potential future. The tree without leaves represents a time of rest and regeneration, and yet there is still growth of beautiful flowers.
I read this article somewhere about trees being shipped on boats all over the world. Something about that struck me as a bit crazy and wild. Plus my brother is a landscape gardener in the US and is regularly moving huge and mature trees for his clients. On one level, I think it's ridiculous that we humans are transporting trees like this, and yet on another, I am strangely comforted by the fact that they can be moved and survive quite well if they are treated like royalty. It's a bit of an environmental statement. Trees do have crowns. after all.
Totem is a painting of one of my imaginary Pictish dogs, which in my work randomly and also takes three-dimensional form in my ceramics.
This dog is painted in venetian red and vermillion, (evocative of the red cattle dog), and decorated with Pictish swirls. It moves towards you, with intense blue eyes, on its path forward. He is a powerful chap, and I like to think of him as a guardian spirit and totem. I'm pretty sure he's a he.
I'm obsessed about the ceramic cakes I made and enjoy painting them together with other treasured items. Each item has a story. The clock very basic travelling clock my Grandfather took with him to Suvla Bay in WW1. The cake is the ceramic creation Fish Out of Water Cake, inspired by the painting of the same name. Pink is warm, comforting and cheerful. The dog represents love and makes me smile. The cup is wonky because it was made by me. The jug is a green glass jug I use a lot. Well, well, well, is a wish and a question. Be Well is my blessing to the viewer.
When I have to drive through the city at night I am aware that down alleys and streets there are throngs of people in pubs and bars drinking the night away. I try to peek into the windows of office buildings and hotels to see who is there. It can be a slightly surreal experience, to be in it but not of it. This little painting harks back to some work I did a few years ago of city scenes - usually with dogs in them.
When I first came to Australia as a young thing from Scotland, I was blown away by the weird and wonderful flowers, bugs and birds, not just in the bush but in some city gardens, so this work is pink to express my appreciation and curiosity of the Australian fauna and flora (yes, I know it's not the traditional colours) since I got over my fear of snakes and spiders, I have a good relationship with it.
It took me a while to relax in it and feel awe and wonder at its uniqueness instead of fear.
This painting is about the choices we make in life. There are so many ways we can react to or respond to any situation. When in doubt, it's good to "go high". Be the bigger person: be kind, be compassionate (to yourself as well as to others). even if you don't always get it right. The angel is trumpeting for the higher path to remind us of the choices.
We've had a lot of rain in Sydney recently and when you've got dogs, well, what can you do but lean into it and learn to love it. Actually, I do love the rain, and the wind, so here they are combined. Of course, there is another meaning to this painting (you know I'm just pretty pictures). Life is hard and sometimes all we can do is accept it and lean into it. I don't mean wallow in it though - It's just that if you don't let yourself feel stuff, then it's hard to heal it. There is magic in just accepting, feeling, and allowing the energy to flow through..this is how we transform and heal.
Cakes, who doesn't love a cake? Cakes are comforting. Cakes are fun, and usually, they are delicious too. I've made lots of ceramic cakes with curious little things on top of them. Mainly I use little snippets from my quicky paintings and make them three-dimensional. Now I am reversing the process again, and painting some of the ceramic cakes as slightly surreal still-life paintings.
This is a painting of one of my cake pots, which I've used as a still-life prop. I have combined my love of all - dogs, stars, cakes, and most importantly the earth. When I include a dog in my images, it's not just because I like dogs. It's because I want to use a symbol that isn't a human being as "the observer". After all, we share this planet with animals and most people don't stop for a second to wonder what their experience of being here is. I make them a bit dreamlike and surreal to amuse or stimulate curiosity.
I am endlessly inspired by my local beach at Curl Curl. On this particular early morning, all the the clouds hung in the sky, suspended in a long dramatic line.. Dogs are everywhere. In my paintings they are often symbolic more than real - so I make them surreal. This one is green with red stripes (well, why not?). In my world, dogs symbolise unconditional love, awe, wonder and joy. They embody “the present moment” like no other creature on this planet (as far as I am aware). Perhaps I put them in my work to remind me that all these things are my aspirations.
Along the local coastline at Curl Curl, you can sometimes see dogs scampering on the rocks at low tide. In that particular spot, there is the most beautiful rock pool which I like to say hello to it and the heart-shaped rock that sits in it. Sometimes I have to pinch myself that I am living in one of the big cities of the world and yet am right on the edge of wildness. The dogs are always painted in a surreal way, to enhance the dreamlike quality of the work..
I live by the sea and I am so grateful that I do. ChilliDog used to love it too and we often go walking together along the rocks. sometimes I stop to meditate and to silently say “thank you to the sea” for it provides us with so much. Also, I enjoy ocean swimming and seeing all the fish and marine life, and for the ability to do this, I am also very grateful. Thank you to the sea.
There is nothing better than taking your morning tea whilst sitting looking at the waves. I can spend endless time just sitting and watching the water, especially when the surf is up. I like to add a touch of surreality to my work. After all, life is a bit surreal at times and the quirky and whimsical take it out of the humdrum. This is an interpretation of a moody morning at one of my local shorelines at Freshwater, or "Freshie" as it is colloquially known.
I like spotty dogs. This is a red one reading the breeze as she trots across the rocks. The sky is dramatic and hypnotic. The waves are building. There is a sense of space and freedom in the air. The dog is surreal and symbolic. In my world, dogs symbolise unconditional love, awe, wonder and joy. They embody “the present moment” like no other creature on this planet (as far as I am aware). Perhaps I put them in my work to remind me that all these things are my aspirations.
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