New work from the Italian studios

For the last 2 years I have been working towards this new body of work to be presented at exhibitions in 2009. The first is at the Cudgegong Gallery in Gulgong NSW (June 5th) and the second at the Skepsi on Swanston Gallery in Melbourne VIC (June 23rd).

With constant access to the many major museums that offer up the most amazing inspirational works, it is possible to be surrounded by the most wonderous influences on a regular basis. Especially important for me are the Renaissance paintings by Raphael with his social references and warm, sometimes challenging, humanity and the stark confronting reality in the post-Renaissance works of Caravaggio. Together with the Michelangelo and Bernini marbles, classical sculptures and architecture: marble columns, stone, texture, layers of time, these all combine in a great mix of inspiration in both the paintings and the ceramics. This also combines with living amidst the art and myths that abound in the many, many churches and cathedrals that are part of our daily life.

About the paintings
Inspiration for this body of work undoubtedly derives from living and working in Italy over the past number of years. Stimulation comes from everywhere, we are surrounded by it, living in a medieval hill top town that rises over Etruscan ruins, with Renaissance overlays, piazzas and palazzi infiltrating throughout. This close city dwelling means we are intimately involved in people's lives, customs, traditions and daily routines and this certainly shows in many of the subjects of the paintings.

About the ceramics
The new ceramic forms have been influenced greatly by the traditional shapes that emerged from the Etruscan society 2,500 years ago, especially in the larger, stemmed open bowls or "calice" and the decorative friezes that chase abstract shapes around the surfaces. But the surfaces too arise from the smooth surfaces of marble and classical forms that are everywhere.