KendreArt | Australian writer & artist

Home: place and space

Home is the physical location where you and/or your family/team reside In December 2019 our home was the most dangerous place to be. Temperatures soared to 43°C (109.4°F) in our area of the Adelaide Hills, usually known for its cooler climes; and a northwesterly wind gusted unpredictably. It was a cliched recipe for disaster and…

Mill Studies: SALA

Place Matters Studying ‘place’ throughout time aids belonging and furthers the understanding of the assumptions that drench us. It feeds a love of culture, architectural design, artistic expression and mostly, the people of that time. My obsession with this place has resulted in more than 100 studies in various forms and has enlarged the minutiae…

Canvas Repairs

The Skateboard and Canvas Incident ‘Water Shortage’ was destined for an exhibition in 2018. And it nearly made it, if not for the undeniable rip in the canvas. The painting sat in the back of my car and on the way to the exhibition at the Lobethal Woollen Mill, I picked up my son from…

The Mill at Noon

The Mill at Noon – Building 21 The Lobethal Woollen Mill is an inspirational collection of heritage buildings melding into the social history of the township. The Mill At Noon – Building 21 is a panoramic fish-eye view. The light at that time of day emphasizes the architectural beauty and vivid colours of the Mill…

The Mill at Night

The Mill at Night – Building 21 The Lobethal Woollen Mill is an inspirational collection of heritage buildings, melding into the social history of the township. Each building changes with the time of day, the weather and my own mood. The Mill By Night – Building 21 is the view that I adore weekly as…

Onkaparinga Barcode Blanket

Onkaparinga Barcode Blanket The Lobethal Woollen Mill is an inspirational place, connecting the social history of the township and bringing a community together. This felt pen drawing was inspired by the pattern of an Onkaparinga Woollen Mill blanket and fuelled by a powerful sense of place. How did you do it? Utilising the time…

Iceland in Agnes’s Shoes: painting a journey

Hannah Kent and Burial Rites Agnes’s Shoes was inspired by the journey of author, Hannah Kent, culminating in her debut novel ‘Burial Rites’. In 1830, Agnes Magnúsdóttir was the last person to be executed in Iceland. Hannah stepped into her shoes and through poignant storytelling portrays common human traits of prejudice, love and subservience. Hannah…

HEAR ME – listening to anonymous silent women worldwide

International Women’s Day 2018 Hear Me is dedicated to the anonymous women who cannot speak out about sexual harassment. This painting was inspired when the ‘Silence Breakers’ were nominated as Time Magazine’s Person of the Year in 2017. Time Magazine’s Silence Breakers I was moved by the anonymous hospital worker amongst the Silence Breakers…

Building 16 – Lobethal Woollen Mill

It has always been about the people and the community – that’s what makes it a welcoming home Lobethal (Onkaparinga) Woollen Mill This alley is a regular view for our weekly art group who gather in the building next door. To me this painting epitomizes the theme of Adelaide Hills’ Stories. The Lobethal Woollen…

80 year old X-rays found – part 1

More than 200 X-rays were found while cleaning out the roof-space of a 1930s purpose-built doctor’s residence in the Adelaide Hills. Dating between 1936 and 1947, the majority are in readable condition and catalogued by name, date and physiology. Some of the names are familiar district surnames. The township of Lobethal has a rich history…

80 year old X-rays found – part 2

How to paint a Harley in 9 steps

Painting for the pleasure of another is the greatest reward; anticipation of this pleasure is the greatest anxiety. This Harley was commissioned by a friend as a surprise for her husband’s birthday. It seemed like a fun idea and I had nine months notice — what could possibly go wrong? That year came and went….

Inspiration – Vineyard Dawn, Adelaide Hills

Inside your head a scream ricochets, ‘I WANNA DO THAT.’ Inspiration: when an idea saturated in promise hits you, sparking a chemical reaction in your brain. A vineyard at dawn on Instagram had me thinking, ‘I’d love to paint that.’ I screenshot it and forgot it … until, short notice inspiration was required. Over-zealous-zooming of…

HEAL Chicago

“An enemy is a person whose story we have not heard” … (author unknown but heeded) These paintings depict a streetscape of Chicago from many points of view; bird’s-eye, street maps, canals, rivers, public transport, underground, street-view from a child, the hallway in an apartment block, alleyways, doors, windows and sidewalks. The impact of violence…

WET

WET. Our survival relies on it. From the fish in this painting, fauna and flora to humanity and our beloved land. Drying is a gradual process, like the boil of a kettle. We instinctively know that watching paint dry or a kettle boil should take a long time. But watching our country dry is taking…

You Can’t Choose Your Family

‘You can’t choose your family,’ said the eighty-nine-year-old man to his five-year-old great-grandson. These are the very words that set me on the well-travelled family history trail; ducking and diving through swathes of digitised records, crawling in and out of rabbit holes lined with red herrings and eventually uncovering a family that you would definitely…

The Escapee

Barney – you taught us that life is short and to enjoy it. You taught us to go out and meet our neighbours. You taught us that a friendly encounter can make your day. You taught us that life isn’t profound. You taught us to just do things – with a good attitude and a…

Unconditional Love

This is Pepi. He was one lady’s best friend and he stuck by her through a failing relationship and very rough times. When she was finally out of that situation and safe, she walked the road of regret over leaving Pepi – even though she had no choice. Her heart had been broken in so…