Recently I was asked whether my art "meant" anything. That was a confronting question because, of course, I like to think it does. The question came from a young person, who arguably is still finding their way in the world and still looking for what it is they themselves stand for.
I have a book due to be released in April of next year, which, if you care to read it will explain clearly what it is I stand for. Its not necessarily a popular point of view, but essentially my artwork comes from an eco-feminist view point. That is, I work from the viewpoint that our environment is precious, and is continually being trashed due to a thirst for greed, control and money, and that greed is primarily a result of our patriarchal society. Eco feminists believe that the power brokers who are trashing our natural environment are able to do so due to their power. Their power is a direct result of patriarchal ideology. The mostly well to do white men who make decisions about our environment are in the position of power due to the strangle hold of patriarchy.
So, in my artwork, I seek to highlight this. Sometimes it is by highlighting the divine feminine, something that has been believed in and celebrated by women for many years. Sometimes, I highlight the beauty of nature, and endeavour to show the deep spirituality that I believe is associated with the natural environment. These ideas, it should be noted, are not in keeping with the religion I was brought up with.
Lately I have enjoyed making fairy buildings as part of my fascination with liminal spaces. I like to think there is something going on beyond our reality, that "magic" is not only possible but going on at the edges of our perception. These and other artworks dealing in "miniature worlds" question our perception and validate the idea that there is more in this world than what we perceive with our senses.
I don't expect that I will go down with the likes of Picasso or even Frida Kahlo. But I live in hope that my work will help some people at least to understand that the world of nature is not only precious but magical and ethereal. And we don't understand everything in our world - there is room for the possibility of magic.
Most artists I know are "greenies". They are adding to the message that we need to look after our natural environment if we would like to have any kind of future. My hope is that you will get on board before it is too late.
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