Artists Statement:
Currently I am making prints about the landscapes that I have seen in New South Wales. After 6 years of coming to Australia the landscape is slowly squeezing itself out of my mind and onto paper, and I am working directly from memory onto the plate. My prints often consist of many layers: the plates are bitten and re-bitten, and the paper is printed and reprinted with thin, subtle layers of colour. The images can be interpreted in different ways. It is quite difficult to see whether the image is microscopic in origin, or macroscopic. I like that hidden quality in printmaking; the fact that you don’t always know what you are looking at.

Artists Statement:
Rationale: I had to go to Canada in late February because my younger sister died of a heart attack. While I was in 'The True North Strong and Free' as it says in the Canadian national anthem. I began to compare and contrast the natural and social milieus of Canada with Australia. Given that both countries were dominions of the late great British empire and that the Australian constitution is copied from the Canadian constitution I thought this would be a fertile ground for examination to see how both countries had, if they had, diverged from the British model. After all the 19th century architecture of Melbourne is a mirror image of the 19th century architecture in Toronto and both cities are the cultural centres of their respective countries. I know this because residents of both cities have told me that. Of course the Americans never declared war on Australia and never burned Melbourne like they did Toronto in the War of 1812. Then again both counties have benefited from their association with the USA in the 20th and 21st centuries. No USA; no Batman, Ben Harper, Blues Brothers, Coke, Cookie Monster, Elmo, Elvis, Green Day, Hulk Hogan, Jack Johnson, John Howard, IPods, KFC, MacDonalds or Microsoft. Both Australian and Canadian cities have lots of statues of Queen Victoria. An Australian state is called Victoria and the capital of British Columbia is the city of Victoria, on Vancouver Island. Australia has the ABC and Canada has the CBC, both public broadcasters. Both Australia and Canada are hereditary monarchies and the British sovereign's representative is the Governor General. So this image is the start of a series which examines the convergences and differences between Australian and Canadian Cultures. I made use of images of Queen Victoria's statues in Brisbane and Hamilton. I have three other prints under way. 1 Sporting Equations : Kids playing Hockey or Footie and beer and poutine 2 Winter Beaches: Lake Ontario versus Moreton Bay 3 Winter landscapes: Hamilton, Ontario versus North Stradbroke Island, Queensland Poutine: Originally French Canadian chips fried in animal fat smothered in gravy, and sour cream topped with wilted parsley and green onions. The ketchup (tomato sauce) is optional.