The Secret Place. 

Does it exist? This place is so beautiful it is surreal, it is a portal to an inner world. 

An opening between sea and sky where one might experience ecstasy.

These works have become a self exploration and self examination as much as they are a journey to deep southern islands. They are an intimate look at the islands, glimpses into the interior of her. Through the secret place I ponder the depth of our hearts and what our dreams contain. I think about what it means to be a woman in this wild environment and imagine the journeys of those who have gone before me. Elizabeth Farr - the young ship girl drowned at sea and her dreams snatched away. 

Many of the place names and vessels have a woman's name and sensuous connotations. The comfort of a woman in the long months at sea, the longing for home. The ownership of another person, enslavement, entrapment. The cabin space, beds and bedrooms are a window into these ideas. For women, self image, self confidence and our physical appearance have been etched into our psyche as being so important. This conditioning has become an obsession in our own grooming. Groomed to fit into a patriarchal society.

The mirror as a painted surface is smooth, striking yet fragile. Luminous light and slips of reflection play with distance, perception and our own gaze.