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ARTIST + TEACHER
My Art
Surfaces (walls, rocks, skin) chronicle a history of decay, erosion, abrasion and fragmentation in their stains, rust, cuts and abrasions. Not only do these surfaces appeal aesthetically, but also this evolutionary process is a metaphor for the fragility, resilience, wounds and scars of life’s experiences.
I exploit media and techniques (predominantly photography, monoprinting, collage, assemblage and installation) to create work that traps traces of memory, identity, damage and repair in the strata.
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Making art is, for me, therapeutic - it heals and nourishes - and it’s even more gratifying when it resonates with someone else.
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Background
I'm an artist-teacher based in Brisbane, Australia. I have been a Teacher in public high schools since 1984. I've found teaching visual art to creative young people extremely rewarding and exciting.
Since completing my Master’s thesis* and mounting my first solo exhibition, I have shifted my identity ever more towards Artist.
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*
Stevens, Karen J (2015) Transition:Exchange - establishing a visual arts practice based on personal pedagogy.
Masters degree by Research by Creative Works, Queensland University of Technology.