works in blood and wax

The phrase, “blood is thicker than water”, ran through my childhood. It was used to confirm, comfort and control. There is no doubt it informs the works in blood and wax series in which my blood is the primary medium. The work sets out to create a tension between the controlled surface and our complex intellectual, cultural and emotional responses to blood.

series 1: decorative works in blood and wax, 1997

decorative works in blood and wax 5 and decorative works in blood and wax 3, 1997, blood and wax on canvas, each 152cm x 111cm

decorative works in blood and wax, 151 Regent Street Gallery, Sydney, Australia

series 2: bloody myths and fairy tales, 1998

Fairies loll about in rose scented gardens, garlanded girls dance with unicorns, rocket ships shoot into space, powerful trucks surge forward and Neptune, his trident held high, is carried through the waves accompanied by mermaids riding dolphins.

These images are derived from children's bedroom curtaining widen the range of concerns to explicitly include intellectual and emotional attitudes towards childhood, the inculcation of gender stereotypes and cultural values through imagery.   The blood renders the fantasies disturbingly corporal and introduces the shades of fear and taboo.

bloody myths and fairy tales: feast, frolic, shoot, surge and swell, 1998, blood and wax on canvas, each panel 80cm x 155cm

bloody myths and fairy tales, CBD Gallery, Sydney, Australia

series 3: threads, 1998

threads consists of four grid-based works. The works have the same proportions, but the repeated use of the gauze template results in individual distortion, rhythm and flow. While the works are fundamentally abstract, their distorted and blood permeated grids recall gauze bandaging and processes of wounding and healing.  

threads:2,1998,blood and wax on canvas, 200cm x 80cm

series 4: fragments, 1999 - 2000

fragments comprises of 45 images produced in six sequences. Mirroring the entropy inherent in all systems, each sequence moves from formal organisation towards chaos. The characteristic strengths and weaknesses of the gauze fabric, the nature of the external forces applied and the varying stability of the pigments all play a role. The sequences reveal not so much deterioration as chaotic beauty and liberate space for the imagination.

fragments blood sequence, 1999-2000, blood and wax on paper, each panel, 18cm x 24cm

fragments black sequence, 1999-2000, pigment and wax on paper, each panel, 18cm x 24cm

fragments, STUFF Gallery, Bethnal Green, London, U.K.

fragment D10, black sequence, 1999-2000, pigment and wax on paper