Julianne Clifford (AUS)

Tasmania, Australia

I have a doctorate in History and the Creative Arts and write curriculum for Australian senior secondary colleges - whenever possible, I escape to the canvas or the camera. And I travel for inspiration which has taken me to Budapest three times – to attend conferences, to paint, take photography and to reflect.

Current work focusses on the process and the journey. The camera captures images in ways that the eye does not see. It is so immediate and textured. What is revealed is a perspective (as in a vision) not thought of in the mind’s eye. And it is often surprising. Photographic images form the basis for the development of abstract canvasses that capture the essence of something; either a feeling or a context or a time. The current work is ‘Departures’, large canvasses (1.8x1.2m mostly) suggesting a change or departure from the known, being cast into a context that challenges you. The second series, ‘Budapestian’, based on Budapest imagery is so evocative to me; I cannot look at these images without being transported not just to a time and place, but to a sense of being in that moment, an abstract representation of the energy of isolated thoughts. It collects moments like flashing imagery in the corner of your eye as you rush by. It is intended to be immediate, grainy, evocative.