Patch

Born in Takapuna, New Zealand. I have lived and worked in NSW, Australia for the past 18 years, 7 of those on Bundjalung land. For the past 5 years I have been living and working as a Farm manager in Goonengery, which is now the Primary  inspiration for my work .
This current body of work explores the similarities and contradictions between being an emerging artist and working in the labour force. Both demand physical effort, repetition and sustained attention, yet offer different freedoms. The rigidity and toughness associated with hard labour contrast with the intuition, vulnerability and openness I find in painting. Moving between these roles allows me to question their expectations and explore where seemingly contradictory parts of my identity coexist. Abstraction offers something my formal working life rarely does: an uncertain outcome, discovered through making.
As screens and digital information increasingly absorb my attention, labour and painting keep me connected to materials, process and place. Both ask for patience and presence. Reclaiming my attention has become an unexpected pleasure and a reason to keep making. These paintings explore the space between discipline and freedom, reflecting on the value of working slowly and physically without knowing where it will lead.