Grey Cube Gallery proudly presents the second Open online art show for the month of January 2021. The show encompassed a range of artistic styles and mediums (photography, digital, mixed media, oil on canvas, acrylic, watercolor, pastel, collage, charcoal, graphite, wax, fabric on board, clay). Each submission has been judged based on the following elements of artistic expression: orginality and quality of art, overall design, creativity, interpretation of the theme, demonstration of artistic ability and usage of medium. Out of all entries, 97 artworks were shortlisted for inclusion in the show. The competition attracted entries from many countries across the world: USA, Portugal, Serbia, Canada, Tiawan, Australia, Argentina, Germany, Latvia, Hong Kong, France, Austria, Italy United Kingdom and China. Enjoy the show and thank you for expressing an interest in our competition.

Born UK, I have lived in Australia for the last 23 years, graduating from University with a BA Honours Degree in Art and Related Arts in the UK. Informed by life and nature, my work incorporates the use of light and shadows, positives and negatives and contrasts as a way of expressing a sense of depth and form. I like to show a sense of emotion within my work and find horses and figures the best way to portray these and often use these as my subject matter. I like to use cast bronze in my solid pieces, and experiment with the patina finishes on these. I also like to use Aluminium sheets in other artworks which are built up into layers to make a form as an alternative way of working. Previously I worked as a graphic designer, and I often use these techniques as a starting point to my sculpture, especially in the pieces incorporating aluminium sheets. Sometimes I work in collaboration with Sculptor John Gardner. Together we created a sculpture of Juanita Nielsen which was purchased for public display by the City of Sydney in 2019 and is housed in the Juanita Nielsen Community Centre at Woolloomooloo. I have also sold my work to private collectors overseas in the UK. I was awarded The Roger Fenton Prize in 2018, judged by Alan Somerville through the Sculpture Society and have exhibited with them several times during the past 4 years. Other Prizes include winner of the Physically Energised categories and over all winner at the ASHREI Art Prize and Exhibition in Woollahra 2020 and selection for the Randwick International Women’s Day Art Prize, 2017. “I like the way the use of negative space creates shadows, contrasts, depth and form which itself creates a whole”.

It has been said that “the eyes are the windows to the soul,” and I have found this to be true. Not only in people, but also in animals - most especially in the great apes. My series “Almost Human” explores the eyes and expressions of these magnificent creatures, looking for the souls in our most closely-related counterparts. Chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans are so much like us that if you spend a little time with them, you can almost tell what they are feeling. Some are young and playful, some are old and wise, and some are shy and do not want to be bothered. They all have very different personalities and spirits. I want to show the heart of these beautiful animals so more people can find a deeper understanding and affection for them, and learn more about the conservation efforts in place to help them. What a better world it would be for man and apes alike.

The concept of evolution is essential to my work, and as a consequence, it serves as a metaphor for change, since the forms I create explore the transformation of humankind. I am focused on harmonizing one language of modern and dynamic forms, in contrast to an ancestral and mythological content. The mystery of abstracting organic forms, therefore, is kindred with the environmental adaptation. Motivated by the magic of the origins of art, I try to connect and create from the underlying fibers, where the man found in his beginnings his way of expressing himself. In this context, I interpret a classification of the natural world giving to the material the possibility of revealing new experiences.

This is my current work as I paint through this Pandemic.