‘In Her Image’



My love of art began in 1996 when I travelled to Veneto in Northern Italy as a teenage exchange student. I lived with a family in the little town of Marostica and studied at the Nove Art Institute.

During those fifteen months I discovered a love for art, history, language and my heritage, it was the moment in my journey when Italia became my ‘true north’ and a constant thread of inspiration in my practice.



The exhibition is an extension of ideas initiated during my Honours Degree in which I explored the concept of ‘literature as a source of inspiration for visual art’.



My thesis focussed specifically on particular characters within Dante Alighieri’s 14th century masterpiece, ‘The Divine Comedy’ and more recently my fascination with literature and ‘the narrative’ has evolved to also encompass the stories of Greek and Roman mythology.



During my studies at Curtin University and NABA in Milan I developed a particular interest in printmaking, textiles and illustration. Hours of technical experimentation in my studio have led me to focus on the possibilities of using textiles, found text and papers to ‘build the print surface’ prior to applying a final monotone print. My choice in medium is strongly inspired by my belief in the unique, tactile and communicative quality of woven cloth.



Recent travels to Europe, the Middle East and Northern Africa have informed my choice and use of materials with an emphasis on the use of gold, silver, mosaic designs and luscious silks collected from Morocco and Asia.



I am inspired by the notion of visually building and exploring the narratives of characters and human experience. The works are my interpretation of selected female heroines and their varied representations as women of strength, beauty, peace and controversy. The work seeks to retell the world within her image and experiences and seeks to indulge for a brief moment in stories of love, life, loyalty, tragedy and fate.