BETWEEN two worlds life hovers like a star,
     ’Twixt night and morn, upon the horizon’s verge.
How little do we know that which we are!
    How less what we may be! The eternal surge
Of time and tide rolls on, and bears afar
     Our bubbles; as the old burst, new emerge,
Lash’d from the foam of ages; while the graves
Of empires heave but like some passing waves.

Don Juan, Lord George Gordon Byron, Canto 15, XCIX


Image credit: NASA/Ken Thornsley, taken from the NASA New Horizons page at https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/january-19-2006...

On January 19, 2006, NASAs New Horizons spacecraft launched from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, on a trip to Pluto and beyond. The spacecraft sent back images of Jupiter when it passed on February 28, 2007, then flew on at about 23km per second toward Pluto, where it made its closest approach on July 14, 2015. The New Horizons mission will travel on to explore the Kuiper Belt objects and the outer reaches of our solar system. So far the mission has produced a number of extraordinary images from Pluto and its moons, and we are learning more every day.


Image credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI, taken from the NASA New Horizons page at http://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/charon-and-pluto...

My artwork explores the connections between science, space and storytelling, and through this exhibition I will investigate and expand upon the findings of the New Horizons mission and its relationship to humanity and the stories we tell. The work will include prints, drawings and artist’s books, which will be exhibited at the Maroondah Access Gallery in Ringwood, Victoria, from June 11 - August 5 2016.


Creating works for the exhibition in my studio, January 2015.

The Maroondah Access Gallery is a council run exhibition space in the Maroondah Federation Estate, 32 Greenwood Ave Ringwood, 3134, Victoria. Travel to the gallery is easy, as it's a short walk from Ringwood train station and also has an on site carpark. The exhibition space itself is quite large, measuring around 13x6 metres. Exhibiting in a gallery of this size involves careful planning and hard work, and I've planned the quantity, size and mediums accordingly. I also hope to run a number of artists talks and events in conjunction with the exhibition. 


The space at Maroondah Access Gallery, shown here featuring the 2013 'Wonder Room' exhibition featuring work by Rona Green, Deborah Klein, Filomena Coppola, Heather Shimmen and Paul Compton. Photography by Tim Gresham.

Thanks for taking the time to learn about and support my project. See you at the exhibition in June!


Pluto, watercolour and charcoal on paper, 2016.

Any funds I raise as a result of your kindness and generosity will be used to directly fund the production of my exhibition, primarily covering the gallery hire fee, framing costs, reward postage and the Pozible fee.

The breakdown for my $4000 target is as follows:

Gallery hire for 8 weeks at Maroondah Access Gallery: $850
Framing of watercolour works: $2760
Pozible fee: $200
Postage costs: $190

"$2760 for framing!!!! Why can't you just go to Ikea and do it yourself?", I hear you ask. Yes, framing is very very expensive, and it's also very important. Custom framing adds a distinct level of finish to an artwork, and also helps keep works on paper clean and safe. My exhibition will be framed at Omnus Framing, a conservation framer on Greeves St in Fitzroy. (Full disclosure: I get a discount from Omnus as I work for their sister company, Neil Wallace Printmaking Supplies. All the figures I've quoted include my discount...)


An example of the handmade frames from Omnus.

In actuality, the $2760 figure for framing only covers my watercolour works. Any excess funds raised will be used to frame a number of print works and oil paintings I also intend to include in the exhibition. The breakdown of extra framing costs is as follows:

Framing of oil paintings: $580.80
Framing of print works on paper: $1476


An example of my zoo watercolours framed by Omnus.

If I somehow manage to raise in excess of $6100, I will be able to cover what I have already spent on materials (paper, paint, ink, etc.) and any costs associated with the exhibition opening and any further events. If I make an absurdly ridiculous amount of money, I will pay myself. Exciting!

My proposal for holding Between Two Worlds at the Maroondah Access Gallery was accepted in October 2015, and since that time, I have been working towards its completion. My basic schedule is:
March 1: finish oil paintings
April 1: finish watercolour paintings
April 15: finish etchings
May 1: finish artists books, take artworks to be framed
June 1: exhibition installation

My main challenges with this exhibition are financial, but it will go ahead even if my Pozible campaign is unsuccessful and I go into debt. Please, pledge. Do it for me, and do it for Pluto.


Pluto, watercolour and charcoal on paper, 2016