Work Ethic:
I used to paint large, high-gloss works in enamel. They were supposed to reflect the shiny surfaces of commercial advertising. The process of these works was a form of penance. It was time-consuming, exhausting and painful - even the enamels I used were toxic and harmful. Now I want to expose all that was previously obscured or stifled or imprisoned beneath the seamless, glossy veneer of those early paintings. I want the viewer to see - and, more importantly, feel - what is really going on. The truth is, I hate mass media, I hate commercialism, even when I felt compelled to explore it. Still, if you mimic something long enough you risk becoming it, or being absorbed by it. Every time I paint now I think of it as my redemption. I have lived most of my professional life by some words of Goethe: `Whatever you can do or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now'. Even though I am still relatively young, I feel haunted by the passing of time, and awed by the amount still left for me to achieve. I have no other choice but to be constantly beginning!In your opinion, what has been the greatest change for women during your lifetime?
Unquestionably, there's been a rebalancing of some of the more ardent positions of late 20th century feminism, sometimes for the better but more often than not for the worse. Women remain much more empowered and their confidence continues to grow. Unfortunately, this confidence is sometimes expressed in ways that might be seen as regressive. For example, consumer culture is driven largely by the economy of women in the developed world who now have significant disposable income to spend on themselves but I suspect that they have, to a large degree, become its slaves - at the expense of their ambition to realise more ambitious dreams, to achieve much of what men have failed to in the last 50 years.How do you think Australian society should evolve during the next ten years in order to accommodate the various roles of Australian women?
Society will evolve to accommodate the increasingly potent roles of women within it so long as we really recognise and promote those among us who are genuinely leaders and thinkers and activists, and we remain committed to ensuring that women are in positions where they can have a louder and more productive say in society. This is particularly so in Australian cultural life which remains, with one or two exceptions, the domain of mainly late middle-aged men with little empathy or understanding of the need for such evolution.Which female leaders have provided you with inspiration in your public life?
Obviously I have been inspired by those who have been strong, independent, intelligent and creative, with an emphasis on the latter two. I also admire those women who strive to break the bonds of convention, not only in society as a whole but with their chosen vocations. As an essentially autobiographical painter, I am, somewhat predictably, a fan of Frida Kahlo, but I am also drawn to women who have demonstrated a combination of creativity and courage. Two photographers come to mind: Lee Miller, who was a war correspondent as well as Man Ray's model and muse, and Tina Modotti, friend and possibly lover of Frida Kahlo, who documented the revolution of the poor in Mexico.What advice would you pass on to women wishing to follow in your footsteps?
Be independent, self-reliant and passionately committed to whatever your ambition might be. Follow your own imaginative imperatives, regardless of what anyone tells you. Don't try to follow in someone else's footsteps. Instead, have the boldness to cut your own distinctive trail into unmapped territories and explore them.My fondest school-age memory is...
being allowed to read my own books in class, during regular lessons. It was a very small country school and each student was given their own individual work folder. Being given the freedom to learn at my own pace - and to read my own books - enabled me to complete two years of school in one. It was the first and only time I learnt for the sake of it, without having to heed the idea of grades.Which teacher has had the greatest influence on you and why?
The greatest teacher I've ever had was Creed Chris O'Hanlon. I encountered him long after I'd left school, when I was 26. An 18th Century-style polymath, best known as the infamous `poster boy' for the Australian dot-com boom and bust, he taught me to think outside convention, to question the way things were `supposed' to be done (and the way I used to do things). He gave me the technological know-how to become independent of the traditional institutional and gallery system, using the web to become more efficient in how I apportioned my time and effort on the myriad projects I wanted to undertake. It was not only an educational but also a spiritual and intellectual journey - surprising and extraordinary.
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