Artist Statement

“There are certain themes and processes that keep arising for me as I work. Time and time again I am confronted with this idea of fixing and mending things, of taking discarded, forgotten or overlooked materials and piecing them together to form a sense of balance and harmony. As if the ritual of collecting these often unwanted materials and cast away supplies, and making them into a thing of beauty, makes something right in the world again. The finished piece often feels like an offering, a ritualistic gift to something bigger. The act of fixing and mending, or making things “right” seems integral to the work.

When I work I am often struck by the process that unfolds, with no particular idea in mind, it is a process of adding and removing, adjusting and deleting, scraping back and stitching together, the meaning rising to the surface after the gestures, after the motion. Sometimes there is no meaning, and that is fine. Something has been expelled in the practice, an exorcism of hard feelings maybe, or a moment of pure presence. Making has always been about observing the inner self and holding a deep reverence for the natural world for me, preserving all that is felt and seen and loved in energetic mark and material.

I lean towards using found or humble materials such as house paint, fabric remnants, wooden offcuts, discarded board or papers, misprints and dilapidated books. I see this as a kind of duty to the planet, to make use of things that would be wasted. A resurrection of sorts.

As a maker of things, I am able to process emotions, connect to something greater, ask questions, know myself, create quietude, be a human and tell a story.

I can listen and respond.”

Artist Bio

Jo studied Art History & Cinema Theory at the University of Melbourne, along with additional studies in philosophy, literature and sociology. While there, Jo received the Dean’s List Honors Award for Academic Excellence and travelled to New York to study post-modernism. Jo’s academic studies were complimented by courses in ceramics and printmaking.

Jo obtained her Graduate Diploma of Education in Visual Arts and studied printmaking at Southern Cross University, before teaching visual arts in NSW. She has facilitated private and community visual art workshops for over 20 years in printmaking, bookbinding, letterpress, collage and zines.

As a letterpress printer, she has been at the helm of print studios for over 10 years and between 2022-2024 took up residency as an artist at the M|Arts Precinct in NSW Australia.

Jo’s work has been seen in Uppercase, Inside Out, Peppermint Magazine, Home Beautiful and Country Style. She has printed for Galah Magazine, Jai Vasicek, Cygnet Perfumery, Sundance Studio, Cathy Penton Atelier, Supply Paper Co, Studio Espichel, Howl Magazine and many others.

Jo works from her Tweed Valley studio on Bundjalung land, in Northern New South Wales, Australia.