Art: an agent for social change
A native of the temperate rainforest of Western Canada, awareness of the fragility of the environment is integral to my world view.
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In the over 25 years since relocating to Australia, I have embraced my adopted country, becoming an advocate for the conservation of its unique biodiversity. The beauty of its native flora and fauna provides endless inspiration.
My creative practice is driven by a deep social conscience and sense of personal responsibility. I see a world where the average person is keen to do their best to care for the planet, but we are overwhelmed with negative news, conflicting viewpoints and feel powerless as individuals to influence our governments to act.
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We can all do something -- my something is raising awareness of what is being done and how people can get involved.
“Each one of us can make a difference. Together we make change.”
~Barbara Mikulski
I want my work to inspire hope and inspire the viewer by visually articulating the issues in a way that is accessible to the public and contributes to a shift in climate change conversations.
My art allows me to combine my lifelong passion for nature with my love of the tactile and textural nature of fabric. I combine unique fabrics with a variety of upcycled materials to create paintings from fabric and thread. I carefully secure tiny scraps of fabrics with free motion contemporary machine embroidery to create complexity and interest. Delicate shadows resulting from suspended stitched layers represent the delicate, ephemeral qualities found in nature.
My work is significantly influenced by current global events and national issues, including climate change, threats to the Australian environment and the current refugee crisis. The work I create is intended to generate awareness and appreciation for the natural world while exploring its fragility and our role as caretakers for future generations.
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I believe we learn best from each other, sharing and improving our understanding of humanity as part of, not separate from nature.
