Art at my Feet
‘As soon as I let go of my obsession with results,
I’m transported to a world of pure fun and delight.
It’s a state of being where happiness reigns supreme,
and I feel truly alive.’ – Steve Parish
When it comes to fine art photography, as opposed to representational photography, I have always regarded traditional physical art as soul food. There have been many artists who have inspired me, but my primary motivator was Desiderius Orban. Having spent time in Paris, Orban was influenced by Henri Matisse, Paul Cezanne, and Vincent van Gogh, although he also spent time with Pablo Picasso and Amedeo Modigliani. Orban introduced cubism, expressionism, and Fauvism to Hungary.
In 1976, the late artist, teacher, and close friend Dr. Irene Amos introduced me to the teachings of Desiderius Orban through his life-changing book, “What Is Art All About?” Like Irene, Orban believed that art was more about subconscious play. Although I carried these views for decades, it was not until 2015 that I found the time and passionate desire to make creative changes. When I finally awakened the artist within, I found that I leaned heavily towards creating abstracts.
In his book, Orban reveals that his artistic awakening occurred at the age of 80. It is wonderful that a simple little book can influence how one sees and, more importantly, feels about the creative process. I do not often consume books that focus on other artists’ views, preferring to develop my own. However, Orban’s writings are compelling. I highlighted many passages, and this little book became one of my dearest possessions. Although I never met Orban in person, I often hugged him in my dreams for providing me with the inspiration and courage to become playfully creative in my work.
Above: ‘Tenacity’ – This wind-blown little tea tree, rugged and determined, had grown almost horizontally to the ground, sending its roots on what one could only describe as a horizontal journey for survival. What an excellent metaphor for life’s journey, reminding us that while humans crave certainty, true certainty doesn’t exist; it is an illusion. Only a willingness to embrace change and a conscious effort to remain open to life’s challenges enable a moderate chance of survival.
In 2019, the Kangaroo Island wildfires burnt the entire region, but the good news is that the wind-swept tea trees are returning. I could not think of a better nature metaphor for the challenges we humans face throughout our lives. You can lose everything you own, but you cannot lose who you are.
Below: ‘Life Cycle II’ – Fallen fruits and leaves form their own artworks across the rainforest floor. Daintree National Park, Queensland.
“Art beneath my feet” is a project that has absorbed me for over thirty years. The idea came from Orban’s book. As an art teacher, he used the forest floor to teach his art students how to see and express the world around them. He placed an empty picture frame on the forest floor and asked them to draw what they saw within it.
Through this exercise, his students learned to connect with their artistic souls and see the world in a new way, even while walking in the woods. This inspired me to create my own collection of such scenes, which I now use in workshops. Many of my own students have since taken up “art at their feet” as an ongoing project.
‘Treasure I, II’ and ‘Walking Tidelines’
Sand between toes, warm breeze on bare skin, the smell of salty air, sea-sounds that surround while wandering tidelines with an artist’s eye. Embraced by millions, this activity is sure to take your ‘thinking mind’ far away from the past and future, into what is now – the present moment where artful imaginings wait ever patiently for that magic moment to break free.
Top: ‘Treasure’ – Sea coast Lincoln National Park, Eyre Peninsula, South Australia
Centre: ‘Treasure II’ – Sea coast Lincoln National Park, Eyre Peninsula, South Australia
Bottom: ‘Walking Tidelines’ – Tarkine Coast, Tasmania
‘Walking Tidelines III’ and IV’ and ‘The Loney Sailor’
Walking tide-lines searching for one-living treasure is a pastime embraced globally, and I consider it fantastic for our mental health. Isolated windswept wilderness beaches are richly rewarding.
‘Raindrops are Falling’ and ‘Light as a Feather’
Left: ‘Raindrops are Falling’ – Floating feather, Swains Reef, Queensland.
Right: ‘Light as a Feather’ – Feather on a pond, Brisbane.
‘Recycling’ and ‘Reaching for Light’
Left: ‘Recycling’ – Fig tree buttress and fallen leaves.
Right: ‘Reaching for Light – Rainforest undergrowth.
‘Special Schools’
Beneath the eucalyptus trees, down among the fallen leaves and branches,
a silent, shuffling shape goes searching,
leaving telltale traces only for those with time and lots of patience,
who have been to special schools to learn to see.
‘Mulga Woodland’
Mulga brush and wildflowers Morawa, Western Australia.
‘Illawarra Flame II”
Leaf and flower litter from the Illawarra flame tree, is a large tree of the family Malvaceae
native to subtropical regions on the east coast of Australia.
‘The Struggle’
A tea tree struggles to flourish in the strong, salt-laden winds of the southwest coast of Western Australia at spectacular Cape Le Grand National Park.
‘Jasper Art’
‘Changing Seasons’
Fallen flowers from a Brachychiton (kurrajong, bottletree) carpet the forest floor. The name Brachychiton is derived from the Greek brachys, short, and chiton, tunic, in referring to its loose seed coats. Kurrajong comes from Dharuk garrajuŋ “fishing line”, as First Nations People created fishing lines were made from kurrajong bark.
‘Dancing Lightly’
Carpeting wildflowers, Morawa Western Australia.
‘Ice Art’
Grass in Ice, Kosciuszko National Park, New South Wales
‘My Beating Heart’
The artful contortions of fig tree roots wrapping around a sandstone boulder inspired me to think of my beating heart. King George River region coastal Kimberley Western Australia.
‘New Life’
Deep in a rainforest, from beneath a decaying forest floor, new life emerges.
