About my work - Mainly Shells

The Shell has fascinated mankind for thousands of years. First used as a tool, it soon became imbued with the sexual symbolism of Water, Tides and Moon. It is easy to see why – the shell is a very sexy object!

But it is the history of these particular shells from a midden which appeals to me most. Some of these middens have been carbon dated to over 40 thousand years old. To hold one of these discarded shell fragments in your hand is to hold a link with early Man and the large migrations that brought the Aborigines to this island continent.

My predominant use of charcoal plays on the symbolic resurrection of these shells from their charcoal-rich graves. By means of the large scale and sculptural form of these drawings, I hope to invite the viewer’s mind to explore the secret corners of these ancient shells....