Material Poetics
Material Poetics was a 2024 solo exhibition at Woolloongabba Art Gallery, featuring paintings on unique textured materials, each mounted on frames of the same size.
Material Poetics 1, Acrylic on vintage chenille bedspread, 76.5 × 61.5 cm
Threadbare in places, this vintage chenille bedspread (c.1950s) has been stretched and painted, preserving decades of wear.
What once projected wholesomeness has been resurfaced. What was soft is now hard, its text inviting us to contemplate who finds warmth in the past and who feels left out in the cold?
I flirt with nostalgia but it leaves me cold.
Lilies in Lava Vase, Acrylic on upholstery fabric, 76.5 x 61.5 cm
Two pink lilies, symbols of grace, admiration, and compassion, stand in subtle contrast. One bloom faces the viewer while the other turns away.
The work reflects on dualities: presence and absence, exposure and retreat, softness and structure. It’s also a meditation on grief, reflecting on beauty and remembrance.
Swanning Around, Acrylic on upholstery fabric, 76.5 x 61.5 cm
A sense of humour is a terrible thing to waste. This work brings together several threads, including a literal swan around the canvas and a metaphorical dicking around.
Unsure where to take the painting, a chance swan GIF on Instagram set things in motion. It sparked conversations about the famous Aotearoa Crown Lynn ceramic swans (the source image here) and a viral photograph of a swan embracing the man who rescued it.
Roses From the Heart, Acrylic and oil on upholstery fabric, 76.5 x 61.5 cm
Depicting roses bought by a friend on the anniversary of her mother’s passing, this work carries a tenderness beneath its bold colour palette, nodding to the joy that lingers in memory.
By chance, the vase also echoes the shape of a human heart, reinforcing the title itself.
The Promise, Synthetic polymer & newspaper on canvas, 76.5 x 61.5 cm
An 80s kid, I may be nostalgic for bow tie and cummerbund sets and puffy taffeta sleeves, but not for the AIDs Grim Reaper Ads that introduced me to a new word: condom.
Humble Bunch, Acrylic on upholstery fabric,
76.5 x 61.5 cm
This painting is the humorous end of a process that began with a full bouquet. Over several days I drew the flowers, removing single stems as they wilted and died at different rates. This humble bunch marks the point where the flowers themselves no longer remain.
Shhh. Be vewy vewy quiet, Acrylic on rayon/viscose blanket (c.1970s), 76.5 × 61.5 cm
Blankets offer warmth and comfort. As children, they made us feel snug. As adults, we joke about what happens under the covers. This painted blanket from my childhood home toys with ideas of ‘covering up’ and ‘under cover’.
A bunny mask, inspired by 1950s nursery furniture transfers, covers the nude male figure’s head. A fig leaf, with its biblical symbolism going back to Adam and Eve, covers his genitals.
Paper Daisies, Acrylic and newspaper on canvas, 76.5x 61.5 cm
This is not a true depiction of the Australian native paper daisy. Instead, its distant cousin, the common gerbera, takes the headline.