Jennifer Hawkins
What medium do you work in?
Multi-mixed-media-installation
Where is your studio?
Dalmeny
How long have you had your studio?
10 years
Tell us what you love about your studio?
I like that my studio is my living space. My pantry and kitchen cupboards are mostly full of art stuff.
I like that creating is not separate from living. I like to be stirring soup with one hand and paint with the other.
Tell us about the strangest object in your studio?
The batman mask is a prop in my talk about Visual Perception.
The masks are called “Org Chart” – they are made of straw, are hollow, are two-faced, and are all off the same mould – made during my time in the public service.
Tell us about the oldest object in your studio?
The loupe is old, and I have been using the mapping pens for 40 years. I used to make hand-made slides by drawing with Indian ink on acetate, drawing through the loupe, cutting the acetate to size, and setting the images into slide mounts. Old technology.
If you were stranded on a desert island, what one thing from your studio would you most like to have with you and why?
I would have to take Fred Bear. The photo shows him packed when we evacuated during the fires.
If you have seen the Tom Hanks movie “Cast Away” you will understand. And Fred has a pencil and notebook in his pocket which would be essential.
Tell us about your art practice?
My work practice starts with an idea, then the materials and processes serve the idea. Materials such as calico, perspex, watercolour paper, bottle tops, and feathers share space with equipment such as brushes, mapping pens, glues, drill press, and a belt sander.
I like to develop a symbol that is simplified to its essence, to work the detail by hand so that each piece is different, then to place it in a context that may suggest a broader meaning. Installation is an ideal medium because I like fine detail but I also like to make a big statement.
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