I have transported a gyre of rubbish all the way from the Antarctic to our front door at Nelly Bay Harbour, Magnetic Island. We can no longer afford to be out of site, out of mind!

The illogicality of bringing an iceberg to a tropical island would be funny, except it’s not. Not when our Pacific islands are going under and people across the world in power seem to feel we have the time to “phase down” ,not “phase out” coal. What are they thinking? Now more than ever, we need to shout out our objections to this ludicrous waste of funds.

The Glascow cimate summit was a failure as far as I am concerned.

In 2008 my artwork took a twist as I became fixated on the rocks and roots of trees on Magnetic Island. These natural subjects represented for me a strength that I had not fully appreciated in nature. But as I began spending more time examining the natural landscape of the island, the closer I got to connecting with it.

Each painting tells its story as I apply a mixture of mediums. I begin with a composition, add natures understory or tidal wash ups to the canvas, seal with gesso, then add my own layers using paint.

All photos of artworks are taken by Jules.

Each week the Plein Air artists on Magnetic Island meet in different locations and draw and paint subjects of thier interest.

These images are my contribution to the current exhibition: Beaches, Bush and Bays at the Louver Gallery, Nelly Bay from the 26th of March to the 18th of April from Thursday to Sunday.

To experience trauma is one thing. To show trauma is another. To show another’s trauma is almost impossible.

The intention of this collection of 4 art pieces (3 portraits and Gbeti’s narrative) is to read the narrative as you move from each portrait. This will provide the insights into what has been part of the memory and mind of Gbetti’s trauma and recall of life in refuge, in Africa. Let the 4 art works speak for themselves as the audience takes the journey with Gbeti and her family as they flee their homeland to seek refuge but instead find themselves living in a form of limbo for 17 years with loss of civil liberties.

Whether we look at the guys who make the big bucks or the simple fisher person, we all have to take some responsibility in National World Heritage.

What we do know is that Industrial waste is a problem all over the world. How we manage it, is usually left to those stakeholders who benefit. However, in this instance and as a lay person, fortunate enough to have seen some of this world heritage location (The Great Barrier Reef), I have to agree that even the slogan... "Act local and think Global" is somewhat out of date. We now have the internet with so many social tools to speak out.

Please take the time to review this 3 minute video and see what you think.

http://www.bobirwinwildlife.com/get-up-australia-save-the-reef/ 

All photos of artworks are taken by Jules.

It's been decades since I worked with watercolours but have discovered wet derwents and am really enjoying working with them. I have even started to incorporate poetry with the artworks to make my messages clearer about protecting our beautiful Great Barrier Reef.

Snappy Happy gear is for kids to feel great, keep cool, and have fun. It is targeted to assist kids in exploring for themselves and is made with 100% cotton. Although some of the frills may not be.

All clothes have been homemade on Magnetic Island.

This piece was a real challenge for me as it was so big. Starting with seaweed, sponge, coconut fibre, sand, and chalk I built the underlay. After a few months the last touches were made before 2 varnishes. Finally, it was sent off to the framers for better stretching and framiing and then sent down to its home at Point Londsdale, Victoria which will be its rightful home.

I can't actually say when I began this obsession with looking down when I walked and being aware of treading ever so lightly, but nature's understory has become a very essential medium in my work.

All photos of artworks are taken by Jules . 

Recyling tests the creativity of the mind and considers waste and the environment.

I am an artist, not a botanist but I am learning albeit slowly, about plants and weeds on the island.

These 3 flowers however simply caught my eye because of their beauty. There seems to be so much happening in the centre of a flower. I suppose that is why I like to look so close. 

The complexities of nature are far beyond my simple mind.

All photos of artworks taken byJulesartworks. 

When you are brought up as an Irish Catholic and then have travelled extensively over Asia, you can't help question the influence of our belief systems and where they are formed. I am not a good Catholic but I am spiritual.

My understanding is that there are many beliefs, religions and ceremonies across the world that are all of value. I believe they are culturally bound with practices to help people work towards goodness. These values are of great interest to me and as I travel, I have tried to further my understanding about what this means in my own life.

However, it is when power, control and territorial boundaries get in the way, that I turn away from religion. Somehow within the institute of fundamentalism, the value of goodness is lost to greed and anger. This I cannot tolerate.

Images of spirit guides in all religions have their own teachings and it is these portraits that appeal to me and have given me solace in times of hardship and joy when I want to celebrate life.

I was introduced to silk painting in Darwin by a neighbour. Up until this time my art was very detailed and exact. I found that painting in a new medium gave my art a new focus. Firstly, I became very symbolic in my design which freed my style up. Secondly, I became more experimental as I tried to control this new medium.

It was quite a liberating time for me and the art began to reflect the learning that was part of taking on a new culture.

Thankyou Darwin for this liberation.

All photos of artwork are taken by Jules.

Conceptual art was one of the biggest challenges to me. As a novice artist in the 80s, I felt that my skill was accuracy. Although this can be important, conceptualizing your art work gives it more vigor.

It is about themes, ideas, mixing and experimenting and movement and form. Probably that's only the beginning of it. As you can see from this gallery, I am very experimental as I work through projects in my Fine Arts degree.

Even though I never finished my degree as I got pregnant, I was never the same after my study in Darwin University. I became liberated from some of my perfections and broader in my use of color.

Photos taken from slides, by Jules.