Artist's Statement

"What I have to do is accept this burden, this battle with cessation, for the consummate gift that it is, and live, knowing that death is life's polarity, the feather placed upon the opposing tray to ensure that all is balanced".
Fra Mauro, "The Mapmakers Dream"

My current work comprises a series of medium format images. Each examines a specific attempt to map our life and times. It is our natural response to explore, define and compartmentalize our world. From this we gain security and satisfaction. But our efforts are frozen in the continuum of time, CHRONOS. They map and define our own finite striving for immortality.

I have used historic timepieces, mathematical and scientific instruments, lenses and optical devices, along with natural and found objects and printed words. These are examined in the context of their applications. Often they are spatially contained sometimes within a wooden frame, sometimes within the confines of a written page, a photograph, a lithograph or map signifying the finite and limited nature of attempts to chart the continuum of time and space. In the Image "Mare D'Elucio" (Sea of Light) the map is an example of the grid men have traced over time and space to locate and define time and position.

In some images the elements are temporally confined. (the watch hands on 12 signify the halting of the passage of time). Always the scope of the task lies beyond the means.

The work has been extended by the use of various photographic and fine art techniques which reinforce the historical context. These images within images include: silver gelatin prints, cyanotypes, colour photographs, polaroid emulsion transfers and stone lithographic photo transfers. Each of these techniques has been explored in my work practice... "The Harvest is Over", incorporates a stone lithograph taken from a silver gelatin image and also photograms. "Flight of Time" uses monochrome photos of clay impressions taken from fossils at the Australian Museum. "The Prize" incorporates cyanotype printing and C type colour photography. The older alternative printing techniques are used to add temporal dimension to the work.

All photographs have been produced in-camera and have been optically printed.