My creative inspiration comes from living in the Dandenong Ranges, with its prolific birdlife, majestic trees and elevated views. This rich rainforest is where I grew up and is now my refuge from modern living. It has a quietness that nurtures my creativity. I also love to explore other regional areas too, with field trips over the years to the desert, coastal and inland regions for new inspirations.

Landscape drawing is my pathway to get immersed in nature, so I often do ‘en pleine air’ field trips. These direct impressions of place, are recordings of the land talking to me, what i’m feeling just comes out on paper in excited gestures, marks and fluid brushwork. It then informs my studio paintings with a vibrancy and freshness.

My studio work is freeform where I mostly experiment with subjects like botanical or still life and just work paint and mediums into a new style. I often use full saturated colour, graphic forms, or texture that all get layered to become painterly abstractions. 

My work has evolved into this fusion of impressionist marks and fauvist colour. I love using tonal colour for rich harmony or analgous colour palettes to create emotional intensity. 

In general I am more interested in developing painterly qualities over representational or realistic values. My process is not at all formal and I enjoy artist run workshops to build new skills.

The Fauvists and Blau Reiter movements, and expressionists of early 20th century are some of my favorite influences. Matisse, Cezanne, Gaugin, Derain, Munter and Kandinsky all used colour in radical ways which appeals to me. I’m decompressing decades of formal graphic design work, and my own rebellious traits are in there too. 

Art for me is about passion. I’m addicted to visual imagery and making each work has its own alchemy with personal meaning, but it really is about releasing fear and having fun.

My works are collected both internationally and locally and my art is recognizable in style as an expressionist / colourist painter.

Visit my online gallery www.jcdcart.com | I also have a popup gallery in Sassafrass open on weekends.

EXHIBITIONS - GROUP

1997 Artisans Gallery, Byron Bay - RAW Seasons of Women - Works on paper.

1998 Waywood Gallery, Byron Bay NSW - RAW Womens Diary - Works on paper.

1999 Chicago Womens Gallery, USA Touring Exhibition - Chincogan’ landscape on paper

2011 Hogan Gallery, Collingwood - ‘Femme+ forme’ - Shistas - guoache on paper

2012 Burrinja Jarmbi Gallery, Upwey - Open Studios Group show -‘Curves n corners’ works on canvas

2013 Burrinja Jarmbi Gallery, Upwey - Open Studios Group show - ‘Tension’ works on canvas

2014 Burrinja Jarmbi Gallery, Upwey - Open Studios Group show - ‘Balance’ works on canvas

2014 End of the Line, Belgrave - Laneway ‘Collective conscious’ Group show - Stencil art on board

2014 Arvys Gallery, Olinda - 30x30 group show - small works on canvas. 

2015 Burrinja Jarmbi Gallery, Upwey - Open Studios Group show ‘Tensity of Change’ works on canvas

2015 Brunswick Street Gallery - 40x40 Group show - works on canvas

2016 Burrinja Jarmbi Gallery, Upwey - Open Studios Group show - ‘Micro macro’ works on canvas

2016 Sherbrooke Art Society - Australia Wild Show - Mixed media on paper COMMENDED

2017 Burrinja Jarmbi Gallery - Upwey VIC - Open Studios Group show -’Duality’ works on canvas

2017 Arvys Gallery, Olinda - ‘Red’ Group show - ‘Red Landscape’ paint on canvas  FIRST PRIZE

2017 Warburton Arts Centre - ‘Things We Covet’, Still Life - Duo Exhibition - mixed works

2018 Brunswick Street Gallery - Botanica Group show - Still life works on canvas

2020 Artbox Collective -Artsy online gallery - Recent works for sale -online exhibition

2021 Burrinja Jarmbi Gallery, Upwey - Open Studios Group show - ‘Wabi-sabi’ - Biophilia  canvas

2022 Burrinja Jarmbi Gallery, Upwey - Open Studios Group show - ‘Shift’ - Immersed in nature canvas

2022 Sorrento Art Show - 5 Paintings - Brachina Landscape Painting - HIGHLY COMMENDED

2021 Somers Art Show - Blue Pods

2022 Red Hill Art Show - Dunmoochie Billabong - Acrylic on Canvas 

2022 Emerald Arts Society Show - Glenfern afternoon Paset Framed - BEST PASTEL PRIZE

2022 Lilydale Art Show  - Brachina Ridgeline -  Framed - FIRST PRIZE - OIL/ACRYLIC

2022 Burrinja Climate Biennale - Finalist - Black Summer Kosciosko - painting -Triptych on canvas

 

EXHIBITIONS - SOLO / DUO

2012 Finders Keepers, Emerald - ‘Wildwoods’ - Solo show - landscapes on canvas

2018 Arvys Gallery, Olinda - ‘Unstill life’ Solo show - mixed media still life works

2018 Tacit Gallery Collingwood - ‘Terrainium’ Landscapes - Duo Exhibition - mixed media, painting

2019 Red Earth Gallery Mooroolbark - ‘Landshapes’ Solo show - Flinders Ranges Landscapes on canvas

2019 Red Gallery - Fitzroy - ‘Inland’ - Duo Exhibition - Flinders Ranges Landscapes on paper and canvas

2021 Selby Artspace - ‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times’ - Duo Exhibition - Landscapes