Blake prize submission goes in!

Spiritual and erotic feeling merge in this image illustrating the Blakian thesis that Man has no Body distinct from his Soul. It challenges established religion to bless and celebrate lives spiritual and queer, creating a more honest informed just and caring society and capturing the full potential of the Incarnation

It was a  major challenge preparing the Blake submission this week - you can only choose two images and if you are going for the emerging artist award you have to supply a one page CV,50 words only on each image .Thank you to Professor Martin Comte, Bishop Michael Kelly and my art teacher from Footscray Community Arts Centre Robert Mangion for being my referees. 

For the record here is the other Blake submission with 50 word blurb 

Explores the subversive eroticism of compassion between men using iconography from Catholic and queer culture in the style of the sword and sandal films of my youth. Tenderness between men has persevered despite persecution. The figures in the Pieta represent the intimate interdependent and sometimes abusive relationship between both cultures

Wish me Luck ! 

A Sale and a Great day at The Convent Daylesford

Thank you to my friend Desely for buying this image- the Word was Made Flesh - at the Convent last Sunday

The Convent staff were kind enough to put on bubbles and a great plate of food for us. My friends Sue and Gavin supportive as always had Desley and I for dinner and sleepover the night before at Scotch Pie House Maldon -we were all  a bit hungover so the bubbles was the solution !

It was fantastic to see my old school friends from primary school days - Deb Adrian ( with his wife Sharon) and my mate from those restless teenage years Patrick.
I have spent a busy week this week preparing my submission for the Blake prize an arduous process -  more details to follow
Thanks everyone for your support - makes the life of an artist possible !

Inspiration of the Convent

I am at Maldon tonight looking forward to meeting Deb, Patrick Adrian and  Graham together with my hosts here Sue and Gavin and our mutual friend Desley for drinks at the Convent tomorrow.
Attached are some pics of last weekend's visit with my friend John, my brother Richard his wife Melanie and my gorgeous niece Monika pictured with their favourite images.

Major shoot and late night processing images yesterday of new model Robin agianst images i took last weekend at the Convent - I have to decide this weekend which images will go into my submission for the Blake Prize - here are some images from the new shoot- feedback welcome.

John and I went for a walk in the Daylesford botanical gardens -a little chilly but beautiful. The final image is of the Convent in the rain -my exhibition is in the corner room closest to the viewer

On the poet and artist William Blake-my homage

 The Blake Prize is named after the legendary British artist and poet William Blake (1757-1827) whose broad range of artistic and poetic innovations, visionary imagination and radical politics made him an outsider in his day.

The Prize was instigated by Jesuit priest, Michael Scott and a Jewish businessman, Richard Morley. They hoped that the establishment of a prize would encourage artists of disparate styles and religious allegiances to create significant works of art with religious content. It has been operating since 1951.

Blake has directly inspired one of the works in my current exhibition

Attached are images of the frontispiece to his collection of poems Europe and my homage a photo-manipulation of Nicollo's image in both images the main protagonists are naked and stretching forward towards the viewer and the picture has a circular rhythm
 My image of the three ignudos gives me the chance to explore the cycle of contemplation, awareness and engagement with the viewer that I wish to engender with my art

I have been looking further into Blake's beliefs as part of preparing my submission to the emerging artists section of the Blake prize


in The Marriage of Heaven and Hell concerning religion he writes
All Bibles or sacred codes have been the causes of the following Errors.
1. That Man has two real existing principles Viz: a Body & a Soul.
2. That Energy, calld Evil, is alone from the Body, & that Reason, calld Good, is alone from the Soul.
3. That God will torment Man in Eternity for following his Energies.
But the following Contraries to these are True
1. Man has no Body distinct from his Soul for that calld Body is a portion of Soul discernd by the five Senses, the chief inlets of Soul in this age.
2. Energy is the only life and is from the Body and Reason is the bound or outward circumference of Energy.
3. Energy is Eternal Delight. (Plate 4, E34)


So both images acknowledge the integrity of the sacred and the body

I want to acknowledge the help today of my friend  writer and monk Will Day who has been helping me choose the final works to be submitted based on their spiritual and emotional impact.


I will be at the Convent this Saturday afternoon if anyone is thinking of visiting and then Sunday week

Its official exhibition until 15th August / Blake preparation

here is a link to the Convent's publicity about my  show
http://www.conventgallery.com.au/artists/current

 -they have been very generous and are running my show till the 15th August - more time for you to visit !
I'm spending my spare time at the moment preparing to enter the Blake prize for religious art - there will be one from this show and another Pieta from a shoot I did Monday night  - here is a backstage view of the shoot and some prototypes of the work- feedback welcome ! please contact me if you want a guided tour of the exhibition