OCTOBER-NOVEMBER

Back in La Consulta I sipped a very unusual gin flavoured with Mate Yerba, eucalyptus, coriander and pomelo as I sipped this tasty concoction I befriending once again the gaudy hummingbirds in our garden as they sipped mid-air on cactus flower nectar. Carolina and I then headed off into the mountains for a short road trip to see what we could see.

Snow, sun, sandy deserts and the grand Andes were the sights we indulged in. We also managed to get bogged next to a river with no shovel to dig us out,  we saw defunct railway lines, strange old Spanish mining towns, bridges leading to nowhere, hotel ruins and roadside shrines constructed of plastic water bottles. Condors cruised above us as summertime slowly crept towards us.  Argentina certainly has some incredible scenery but the country generally seems to operate like a confused gaucho riding around in a circle on a pretty horse. Hopefully the elections here will create some changes for the better as most of the population are very ready for such a miracle. 
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Then it was Melbourne-time once again as a solo exhibition at the brand new NKN gallery space dragged me back across the Pacific.

NOPERSONSLAND - This exhibition covered a bit of ground and a variety of textures. There were panoramic views from the infamous DMZ on the Korean peninsula, scenes from the Antarctic icecap, rustic sewing, imaginary islands, emblems, text, badges, cartography, seas, blizzards, jokes and tropical shells.
To navigate through this rather complicated geography I used mixed media, paint and pearl shells.

The exhibition title NOPERSONSLANDlocated all these strange views into some kind of fuzzy border zone. Borders have always fascinated me as they are places of communication, exchange, fear and excitement. At borders you can meet strangers and connections are made, hopefully without too much bloodshed.
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The art studio is similar to a frontier zone as conceptual and visual battles are constantly fought with no end to the experimentation and conflict. Diverse and numerous thoughts/images are often slammed together. I make these studio battles even more tricky as I continually move my studio around the planet.  Once each skirmish is over, meaning the visual and mental baggage is processed into something called art it is then released onto the walls of a gallery. Then it is time to relocate the studio and the next battle begins. 
Time now to jump on a plane to Chile….