End of the beginning

2023 New Years Eve. As I sit on Bell’s Beach in Australia listening to the waves crash, surfers waiting to catch their next wave and the occasional passing beach wander, I reflect on this year. It was an unexpected destination today. Some of this year was like that too. The deep background roar behind the […]

September 4th

On this day, a long time ago, long before I was born, a baby boy was born. He would be the big brother, protector and strong tower. Not so much because of his height, but more because of his heart for people. He was a dad and a granddad to a granddaughter he would never […]

5 9

It’s that time of the year again where anniversary days are closer together. Happy 59th Michael. That deserves some cake time for sure! I remember trying to take the goofy photo of you sanding back this window for mum in your mask, and how long it took for me to get one with the mask […]

T h e A c c u s e r

**Edited and reposted When I started painting this work I was exploring composition, layout, colour, facial expression and foreshortening. Generally speaking, I had no idea what this would look like as I begun working on it. It took about 2 years to complete once painting started. I usually have several paintings going at the one […]

A N Z A C

This is a photo of my Grandfather. He was an Anzac. His name is written in one of the Anzac books that line the entire outer inner corridors of the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia. You get your name in there as one of the men and women who fought in the First World […]

b r o k e n

“as I sit in my car after viewing the RONE exhibition at the Geelong Gallery, I find myself literally contemplating my life and the what next. I am returning to work in 3 days and I can’t think of anything worse.” WOAH.. I found this quote sitting alone in this blog post. How so much […]

2 0

This year’s milestone is one that I would never have asked for. Actually each year, month, week, day, hour, minute, breath….you get the idea. As I start to write this in July for later this year I am concious that this has been in the back of my thoughts more than any other year since […]

t o m b

As I have processed the Easter season over the last few weeks this image came to mind. I was also challanged by doing an Easter image that didn’t include the “usual” imagery. This is where “t o m b” comes into being. Just as I can’t see baby Jesus at Christmas without seeing the cross, […]

m u l t i p l y i n g h o p e

This was started last week in Church as a response to the theme multiplying hope. It is also about getting back on the studio horse in my new studio space after a very disjointed finish to an overly tormultous 2020. This image marries together the eye witness of Jesus life, death and resurrection seen by […]

e m m a n u e l

“God with us” As the celebrations of Christmas become the focus this time of year, I am reminded of some things. Historically and culturally Jesus is not white. I struggle everytime I see white baby Jesus now that I understand this myself. Jesus was Middle Eastern. Historically visual translations of the bible throughout art history […]

t e a r s 2 . 0 g r a c e

This was my staff devotion for 11th May 2018 In recent times I have found myself challenged to complete old work in order to release the new. Losing someone I used to work with to cancer just before Easter this year heightened this also, and I was and I am confronted more with God’s call […]