Studio Journal
Essays, field notes and reflections from the Tracing Australia project
Through essays, field notes and reflections, the Studio Journal is a place where I delve into Australia's landscapes, significant trees, histories and places. These writings accompany my artwork and the evolving Tracing Australia project, a long-term project looking at the stories that shape our relationship with Country and what Australia or being Australian really means.
Boab country
Boab trees of the Kimberley Western Australia….gentle giants observing the tides of change
Meliorist on the Move- Darwin
Meliorist on the move- 6 months on the road tracing Australia.
January 26
a conversation we need to have
January 26 sits uncomfortably with me as a celebration of what Australia is today. I cannot partition it from its roots-(and those are also my roots) the advantages I have from the displacement of others. I cannot be proud of the condoned act of piracy. I cannot buy in to a One Nation under one flag ideology.
Having a Voice
This year might be a watershed moment for Australia. This year might be an opportunity for us to let go of the colonial shackles, prejudices, biases and fears we may have about treaties, reconciliation and our notions of what it is to be Australian. We have an opportunity to reframe our identity, to move forward with pride and honour.
Good Morning Australia!
Musings on what it means to be an Australian and artwork about the diaspora that makes us Australia today
It's Time for a change Australia
It’s time for a change Australia- a rethink about Commonwealth, monarchy, and nationhood. What does it all mean anyway today?
Lateral Thinking Part 3
Lateral Thinking Part 3- The Arts
A voice for or times. Musings on arts funding, the meaning of it all, protest songs and things we could do differently.
Lateral Thinking Part 2
Poverty will only be made history when nature enters economic calculations in the same way that buildings, machines and roads do. Partha Dasgupta
Lateral Thinking Part 1
I can smell an election in the air and there are a few things on my mind I reckon the politicians are getting very wrong and are ready for some lateral thinking….
Housing
the Environment
the Arts
it is timely to step back and refocus our attention on things that matter rather than what the media and political spin doctors say matters.
Visions for the future
What does it take to be a visionary?
Collins dictionary says synonyms for visionary are idealist, romantic, dreamer, daydreamer. This has a dismissive air. The world today has no time for idealists. Yet they also say You use visionary to describe the strong, original ideas of a visionary.
Resilience
When life gives you dirt….make compost… that sums up the message from the Resilient Women event on Tamborine Mountain (Bron and The Lyre Bird- image courtesy of Linda Mahaffy from Scenic Rim News Info and Events)
Taking Steps- An artists journey with Parkinsons
Interview with David Forbes- a story of an artist living with Parkinsons Disease
What does it mean to belong? Beginning on Tamborine Mountain and following the remarkable migration of the Eastern Curlew, this month's Studio Journal reflects on community, stewardship and the reciprocal relationship between people and the places that shape them.