Heading downtown to Uptown

Hi, hope you're going well!

In exciting news, I currently have a new drawing titled Never felt so wanted currently on display in the window of the great Bourke Street landmark, Pellegrini's Espresso Bar.

(Photo courtesy of Emmy Clifton)

I also have a few more large drawings, including Relatively Armless, in the laneway around the corner.

These works are part of a new outdoor group exhibition called Uptown, curated by Fiona Scanlon and Robert Buckingham, presented at the top end of Bourke Street in Melbourne.

The show features myself alongside this amazing list of twenty five artists; Peter Atkins, Damiano Bertoli, Polly Borland, Danica Chappel, Su san Cohn, Destiny Deacon, Yanni Florence, John Gollings, Louise Hearman, Bill Henson, Janina Green, Lou Hubbard, Eugenia Lim, James Lynch, Alasdair McLuckie, Viv Miller, Kent Morris, Elizabeth Newman, Louise Paramor, myself, Kerrie Poliness, Steven Rhall, Elle Shimada, The Huxleys, Lisa Young, Constanze Zikos.

Another work I'm exhibiting in Uptown is this new ceramic sculpture I made of the book Blockbuster! by the brilliant author Lucy Sussex.

Blockbuster! tells the history of Australia's first murder mystery novel, which was published in 1886 and largely set in Bourke Street. The sculpture is currently on display in the front window of the iconic Melbourne bookstore Hill Of Content.

Amazingly the author Lucy Sussex was kind enough to drop by Hill of Content yesterday and autograph the sculpture! 

Photo courtesy of Emmy Clifton

Uptown is on now until February 28, 2021, keep an eye out if you happen to be up town in Bourke Street! For more info please click here.

In other news, my solo show Planes, Trains and Bubble'O Bills on still on now until March 14 at Tweed Regional Gallery. Click here to read an article about the exhibition written by Kirsty Francis and published on the website A Rich Life.

And in other exciting news, the Christmas Card drawing workshop that I presented recently with the National Gallery of Victoria is now online and can be viewed by clicking here.

Thanks so much reading, hope you have a safe and happy week!

(Photo courtesy of Federation Square, and photographer @dormancreativephotographer)

We'll croissant that bridge when we crumb to it

Hey, it's officially the final week to see the Symphony Orchid-stra in my new solo show at MARS Gallery, Trying To Leaf Things Better Than We Found Them!

This work is all about listening to nature.

Each orchid is hand sculpted and kiln fired. 

Trying to leaf things better than we found them is on until December 15. Thanks so much to everyone who's seen it so far!

For more info, and to see the exhibition catalogue, please click here!


In other news, a big thanks for the lovely messages from people who've seen my new solo show at Tweed Regional Gallery in NSW, titled Trains, Planes and Bubble'O Bills.

Here's a couple of photos of the show, which is on now until March 14, 2021. For more info please click here!



In other news, here's some photos taken of my work in the group show Eat Art, on now until January 31st, 2021, at Hawkesbury Regional Gallery.

The show features myself alongside artists Marian Abboud, Cath Barcan, Mechelle Bounpraseuth, Lucy Culliton, Phil Ferguson, Chrissy Flanagan, Ben Tankard and Dawn Tan.

Here's a couple of photos of my work in Eat Art. For more info click here!


And in other fun news, here's a new ceramic sculpture I made of a croissant.
I was recently commissioned to create four ceramic croissants by Melbourne based illustrator Juliet Sulejmani, who's creating an ongoing project about croissants, which can be found here.

My favourite part of making ceramic croissants was definitely brushing on the buttery shiny glazes.

Thanks so much for reading, I hope our paths croissant again soon!

Skating on thin ice-cream

Hi, here's a new ceramic sculpture called Walking on Thin Ice Magic.

This piece is included in a new group exhibition called Eat Art, opening this Saturday December 5th at Hawkesbury Regional Gallery in New South Wales.

The exhibition explores the universal experience of food and its influence on our lives and imaginations, and features the work of myself alongside Marian Abboud, Cath Barcan, Mechelle Bounpraseuth, Lucy Culliton, Phil Ferguson, Chrissy Flanagan, Ben Tankard and Dawn Tan.

Eat Art is on until January 31st, 2021. For more info please click here!


In other exciting news, this Saturday December 5th at 12pm I'm hosting a live Christmas card themed drawing workshop with the National Gallery of Victoria, as part of an online event called North Pole University.

The event is free and fun for all ages. For more info, and to watch along at home, please click here!

In other news, my solo show at Mars Gallery is still on until December 15th, thanks so much to everyone who's seen it so far! For more info, and to view the exhibition catalogue, please click here!

And in other news, my solo show at Tweed Regional Gallery, called Trains, Planes and Bubble'O Bills, is still on until March 14, 2021. For more info please click here!

Thanks so much for reading, hope things are looking UP & GO'ing well!

Planes, Trains and Bubble'O Bills

Hi, thanks so much to everyone who's seen and supported my new solo show, Trying to leaf things better than we found them, in its first week at MARS Gallery!

Here's a photo of me with some new glazed ceramic sculptures of toothbrushes, titled Old Mates. 


You can brush up against these Old Mates, and all the other new works in show, on now until December 15.

The gallery is open Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm. Hope you get a chance to see it before it's tooth late! For more info please click here!


In other exciting news, I have a new solo show opening this Friday November 27th at Tweed Regional Gallery in NSW, the show's titled Planes, Trains and Bubble’O Bills.



The title is a reference to the great 1987 film Planes, Trains and Automobiles, and the exhibition is all about the experience of passing time on public transport.

The main body of work presented is my series of 99 drawings of people on the train, originally shown in 2014 as part of the exhibition NEW14, curated by Kyla McFarlane at the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art.

These drawings of mundane situations within crowded train carriages take on a new meaning this year.

Planes, trains and Bubble'O Bills also features a fun public program for kids and families. Tweed Regional Gallery is wheelchair accessible. The exhibition runs from November 27, 2020 until March 14, 2021.

It would be bubble'O brilliant if you get a chance to see the show, for more info please click here.

Tweed Gallery and I would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which this exhibition will be taking place, the people of the Bundjalung Nation, and pay respect to their Elders past, present and emerging, who've been creating art here for thousands of years.

On a wing and a pear

Hi, here's a new ceramic sculpture called "The world's gone pear shaped".

This sculpture is acrylic on kiln fired earthenware ceramic, its dimensions are 11.7cm x 7cm x 7cm, and in exciting news this work will be included in my new solo show opening this Wednesday, November 18, at MARS Gallery!
The exhibition plays with ideas of personal growth, kindness and togetherness whilst responding to themes that are both timely and timeless.

Here's a new painting that's also included in the show, titled "Trying to leaf things better than we found them".

"Trying to leaf things better than we found them" is acrylic on linen and measures 108cm x 96cm. 

If you'd like to see the exhibition catalogue featuring all the works in the show please email andy@marsgallery.com.au 

The show runs from November 18 to December 20. MARS Gallery is located at 7 James Street, Windsor, in Melbourne, just off Chapel Street.

Here's another new work in the show titled Social Bubbles and Social Bubble'O's.

I've just finished installing the exhibition today, I hope you get a chance to see these works in person and hopefully see you there!

I'd like to acknowledge the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation, whose land this exhibition has been created on, and pay respect to their Elders past, present and emerging, who have been creating art here for thousands of years.

A new lease on Lifeblood

Hello, in super arm-azing news I was recently invited to design this new bandage for the Australian Red Cross Lifeblood!

Very happy to be selected to work on this project alongside artists Beci Orpin, Gemma O'Brien, Georgia Perry, Chris Nixon and Brian Robinson!

Lifeblood has partnered with myself and these five fantastic artists to create a vibrant range of limited edition bandage artworks, that will be available to all blood and plasma donors nationwide during the next six weeks.

Here's a photo of me wearing the bandage I designed after having just donated, and enjoying a free Nippies iced coffee (one of the many perks of donating!)

If you'd like to see if you're eligible to donate, or to book in your next donation, visit donateblood.com.au.

In other news, this year marks the 30th anniversary of the Linden Postcard Prize held annually at Linden Gallery in St. Kilda, and to celebrate Linden are presenting an exhibition featuring work by the past winners.

Here's my painting which was the lucky recipient of the Linden Postcard Prize in 2013, titled Slime Balls and Misery Guts.

As well as myself, the other exhibiting artists are, in alphabetical order; Abdul Abdullah, Penny Byrne, William Eicholtz, Sarah crowEST, Robert Fenton, Prudence Flint, Josh Foley, Anna Hoyle, Helen Johnson, Michael Kluge, Robert McHaffie, Scott Miles, Jennifer Mills, Grant Nimmo, Greg Penn Louise Rippert, Hedy Ritterman, Valerie Sparks, Richard Stringer and Steffie Wallace.

You can view the full exhibition catalogue by clicking here.

My new work in the exhibition is this ceramic sculpture titled The Ticket.
A ripped ticket stub is a permanent record of a fleeting experience. The Ticket is a reflection on how, despite Luna Park having been closed for most of 2020, the year itself has felt a lot like a roller coaster. At times it’s been a scary ride with many unexpected twists, turns, ups and downs. 

This work is the latest in a series of hand sculpted replicas of items that are only very temporarily considered important, such as improvised bookmarks, discarded shopping lists and lost lottery tickets.

The online opening for the Linden Postcard 30th birthday exhibition is tomorrow evening, (Wednesday October 21st), from 6pm to 7pm. 

The event is free and will include live captioning. You can register to attend the opening by clicking here. Hopefully see you there!

In the meantime, in the spirit of celebrating postcards, please feel free to send me a postcard addressed to my P.O Box, which is P.O Box 232, Batman. Victoria. 3058.

Thanks for reading, hope you're having a post-ticularly nice day!

Well this is orchid

Hi, here's a new series of ceramic sculptures of orchids playing classical music, called the Symphony Orchid-stra.

Whilst we've been in lockdown the natural world has carried on, and as we slowly return to busyness this piece is a gentle reminder for us to continue listening to what nature has to say.

In exciting news, these works will be showing in Canberra's biennale public art festival Contour 556, showing alongside heaps of great artists including Louise Weaver, Richard Lewer, Kerrie Poliness, Tony Albert, Connie Anthes and many more.

Contour 556 opens this Friday October 9th and runs until October 31st. If you're in Canberra hopefully this plants the seed for you to have a look, so put the petal to metal and I truly be-leaf you'll have a lovely time.
Contour 556 would like to acknowledge the Ngunnawal People, the traditional custodians of the land on which this festival takes place. I'd also like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which I created this artwork, the Wurundjeri People of the Kulin Nation, and pay my respect to their elders past, present and emerging, who've been creating art here for thousands of years.