Coming to an Understanding 

This early painting “Coming to an Understanding” was exhibited as part of the Graduate Degree Show at Curtin University in 1987. 

The subject matter of this image is a human form apparently reintegrating with the Universe. The arms and upper torso reach up only to become Clouds and Sky whilst the thighs and lower legs are becoming Earth. It is quite thickly painted with a lot of experimental overlaying. The lower section, for example, used prints taken off vine leaves as I grappled with new ways to represent my ideas in Oil paint. 

I was painting about what I wanted to understand, and where I had come from, and I was making a lot of sketches about aspects of connection with the natural world, (see for example “Dive”).

Later these fascinations would broaden as I encountered Goegraphic ideas, for example, the theory of 'Isostacy', or to notice Duality and repetitions within the Macro and Microcosms.

Such concerns can be seen to have developed to further inform several decades of image making.