Jade is an Australian contemporary artist & proud descendant of the Mirning people from Kepa Kurl Country of South East Western Australia.
She is living and painting full-time in Boorloo/Perth on Whadjuk Noongar Boodjar land + in 2020 she has showcased works at her first solo exhibition ‘Dreamland’ opening at Perth gallery Pig Melon this past November. She has also been a part of group exhibitions in 2 states in Australia and one recent International Charity Art Auction.
In her life, Jade has had a deep love for art and a curiousness for the ethereal. A sense of a world beyond what the eye can see. Dreamland, her debut solo exhibition is a collection of paintings that would explore this idea - Early days of one's existence - made of colour, sound and light. A time before language, a world which is a blur of senses. Innocence in newness, unscathed. Open-hearted and awoken to this earthly plane.
Tell us a bit about what a day may look like for you as an artist. Where are you based and what are some of the things that you do in your daily routine? Tell us about your morning rituals, your cup of tea/coffee, plants, etc!
This year I have worked from shared artist studios & from home. I find I am at my deepest calm and connected with my painting when I am in an environment that inspires, from the sounds of soft music, the feel of light coming through a window, to the smell of the morning studio coffee & of the paints as they set on to the canvas, this all in alignment is what gets me in to the space to create. Other than this, my day is a mixture of intuitive processes including knowing when to take naps & walking my dog.
How did you start your creative practice and why? Are you self-taught, an art student, a full-time artist, etc?
I have always dabbled in artistic processes, though last year in 2019 I decided to study full time and was accepted into the RMIT Diploma course. Though I have not continued on with these studies, I found it was here that I was really able to delve further into my ability, what type of art I enjoyed making and what type of art others enjoyed me making. I have definitely chosen the road of solitary creating, though receiving all high grades in my studies, I felt like the autonomy and independence of non-education based arts suited me well.
Have you got a studio/creative workplace? Tell us a bit about where you create and some of the significant things that support and inspire your practice.
I am currently in the process of buying my first home & on my list of requirements for this is a decent sized workspace! I love to paint large, and right now - I am working on some larger scale pieces from my West Leederville 1bdrm Apartment! I am lucky to have a decent sized balcony but there are many moments that I dream of on an on ground concrete floor. I was in shared spaces earlier in the year, but to save money I decided to scale some things back. Environment really is important to my practice - I am inspired by light, sound, smell. All of the senses alight.
What are some of the ideas that you explore in your work and the mediums that you have chosen to work with?
The main concept which always comes to me, and perhaps I will always go back to it, is about expressing early childhood senses and memory through abstraction and colour and light. The earliest days of existence where all is a swirl of sense, languageless & infinite. When I paint, I am able to reach a deep state of peace that I cannot find with much else. Perhaps the feeling of the sun on my face, pure and energising. This idea, and the exploration of existence has always been deeply rooted in my natural curiosities. Thus, it is an idea I could explore for my entire career as an artist and in life in general.
In an increasingly digitized world, how important is your online presence? And what are some of the things that you consider when marketing your work?
I have found how amazing it has been for my practice, to be able to connect and to share my work and to hear the kind words from people I don’t even know inspires me a lot. I have never felt more connected on social media spaces than I have now, I feel like what I am sharing I really believe in and care about and the opportunities that have presented themselves in such a short amount of time really blow me away. I love to connect with other artists, I have paid for a promotion a couple of times, when I first released prints, and I think because of the content people would actually engage. I haven’t done that for some time though and would prefer to come across people without having to spend the money. It sometimes can seem painstaking to build an audience but if even one person reaches out to you and your art has affected them positively then how nice is that. I definitely try to see social media as a positive tool and I completely tailor what I see so that I am keeping the values and beliefs that are true to me, true to what I engage with.
Let us know about any current/future projects – Have you got anything planned in the near future?
I have just had my debut solo exhibition here in Perth, WA at an amazing little independent gallery called Pig Melon. This was a huge part of my last few months, but looking into the future I have works going to a gallery in Sydney (Curatorial & Co) and works going to you guys in Melbourne to show, which I am beyond excited about. I have also been approached by a pretty reputable online store about collaborating on an exclusive collection. I am taking a little break from selling until then. I want to just breathe and enjoy the summer, be inspired and re-energised for 2021. I will always be painting something but I definitely wrapping this year up, sitting back and feeling into what next year will bring.