Remnants Exhibition

Welcome to 'Remnants'.
For this exhibition I have joined with the amazing Kim Mancini, owner and artist of Mancini Gallery, and Kim Wood of Little Splinter Art.

We've put together a showcase of our work entitled 'Remnants'.
Whether it is items you hold dear, experiences or memories, we all have remnants from our past.  

My canvases in this exhibition are all reclaimed from op shops, rescued from the crowded racks of discarded artworks. They’ve lived previous lives — once cherished, now forgotten — nestled among timber frames and stretched fabrics that once held value in someone’s world. These were digital prints that once hung proudly in homes, children’s kindergarten handprints now outgrown, or paintings from a midlife painting class — once meaningful, now abandoned.

The backs of these canvases are exposed, revealing the raw materials of their past: loose threads, fabric scraps, paint smudges, and fingerprints. Some bear old hook holes, dents, or scratches — quiet reminders of their journeys. Just like us, these canvases carry hidden histories and imperfections. Through these reimagined pieces, I hope people see that flaws don't need to be hidden — they’re part of what makes us whole.

Each one has been lovingly cleaned, stripped back to bare canvas where possible, and given a second chance — a kind of facelift. Beyond the artist-quality paint that now graces their surfaces, they’re adorned with remnants of our everyday lives: a doily passed down through hands, fabric from a favourite dress we wish still fit, a piece of lace too pretty to throw away, or a ribbon saved from a gift — held onto for reasons we don’t quite understand.

I made the frames myself from unwanted paintings, and frames, I'm no carpenter, but it does not make sense to give a canvas another life, yet use new materials to frame to work.  Framing each piece was a joy, a chance for me to give the piece a big hug, and wish it all the best for it's new life.

As a species, we can be incredibly wasteful, thoughtless, and, at times, cruel. When something no longer pleases us, we cast it aside — as if its presence becomes too much to bear. We throw away memories, regrets, and the physical remnants of our pasts. We ride waves of trends, constantly reshaping ourselves to fit in, fearful that if we appear too tarnished or too real, we too might be discarded. Meanwhile, we miss loving, we miss remembering and we miss being in the moment, even if that moment was in the past.

I hope you enjoy 'Remnants'.