Graphite, watercolour, pencil, soft pastel & pen on paper. 24.5 cmW x 36.5cmH (Frame 37.7 cmW x 47.7 cmH)
This was the first piece I created with intent for ‘Accept/Resist’. Being the first ‘real’ artwork I was making for an actual solo exhibit, I was filled with anxiety putting pencil to paper. My expectations were so high that when I finished her I thought she was horrible because she looked nothing like I had imagined. As with all artworks, absence makes the heart grow fonder so I packed her away and didn’t look at her for a while and now she is one of my favourite pieces in the exhibit. I can’t even remember what it was I was planning on her to look like originally.
The concept for this piece started when I found a vintage circus photo of a knife thrower and just loved how she was filled with concentration and focus. Despite her training and skill, the most eye catching part of the photo was the knife in her mouth, which clearly took less effort than anything else she was doing.
No doubt she knew where each knife was and when to move her hands to catch or throw but she would have had so many mishaps before she could do this. That is what I explored with this piece. The woman in this work is throwing and catching, the knife in her mouth like a professional but the knives are pointing in odd directions. It is hard to know which hand is throwing or catching and if a knife will land true or will cause damage.
We nurture so many habits and skills until they just become natural to us and to those who are watching. The hours spent behind the scenes being cut and bruised and battered for your passion or purpose aren’t taken into account once you make it look like it just comes naturally. The more I think on life, the more I believe that nothing comes naturally, I have learnt and practiced all that I show the world, even if I don’t realise that myself.
If you are interested in giving “Nature” a space in your world, please contact Platform Gallery directly.
Accept/Resist 11th-28th October
Platform Gallery
194 Katoomba St, Katoomba, NSW 2780
Ph: 02 4742 0047
E: hello@platformgallery.co
W: www.platformgallery.co