(NB: I use the term ‘teacher’ here as a convenient reference, but it might be more accurate to say I was a ‘facilitator of creative learning experiences’. Either way, my central motivation and passion was to share skills, ideas and inspiration with others, through creative play, curiosity and discovery.) From 1990 to 2017 my main […]
An Overview of My Teaching Life Read More »
In 2013 I began to synthesise a range of teaching techniques I’d been testing & refining over many years, into a process I called thINK Draw Connect Learn, or thINK for short. You can read more about thINK here. The thINK Process includes deconstructing drawing into abstract ‘Elements‘ and modelling how these simple building blocks
SCHOOL OF CARTOON ARTISTRY: Cartoon Workshops Designed To Make You THINK! Read More »
Plenty of cartoonists have offered ‘how-to-draw’ workshops on ways to capture emotion in cartoon faces. Often the ‘workshop’ is more of a demonstration or performance – the style is quick and sketchy, a quick fix aimed at entertainment rather than learning, and usually intended to promote the cartoonist’s latest book or other product. Of course,
Creative Communication: Cartooning for Emotional Literacy Read More »
Over the years my illustration has often found a home in various areas of health & well-being, with clients ranging from government health services, mental health organisations, educational ‘well-being’ projects through to private practitioners and community arts projects. My empathic nature, my sense of social conscience, along with my personal insights from lived experience (long-term
Cartoon illustration: Health & well-being projects Read More »
Uke takes a backseat in this new collection of original tunes, mostly-instrumental music influenced by my love of African & AfroCuban rhythms. Danceable organic grooves, hypnotic atmospheres, driven by traditional percussion and a spirit of renewal. New Skin – Bradfield Dumpleton 2017 (Mya Moe ukulele, electric guitars, cello bass, keyboard, cajon, dun dun, lizard sticks,
Pigbox & Co. Vol 1 and Vol 2 are two albums of instrumentals & songs inspired by my metal-bodied resonator ukulele, whom I affectionately named PIGBOX. A ramshackle assortment of gutterblues, loose jazz, americana, folkalisms and lyrical noodlings, accompanied by a variety of other instruments and found sounds. As mentioned in Early Ukelele Explorations (2005
Pigbox & Co. Vol 1 & 2 (2016) Read More »
Community arts, health & well-being and education seem to be where I gravitate in my creative work. Over the last 20 years I’ve often been engaged by councils, usually via their Community Arts or Community Development teams, to facilitate workshops, youth or community arts projects, or provide illustration such as promotional art, logo design &
Cartoon Illustration – Knox City Council (2007 – 2016) Read More »
In Oct 2015, Relationships Australia Tas employed me as a “visual mapper”, to illustrate in realtime the core themes and ideas that emerged from their annual 2-Day conference of 150 employees from around the state. I stood at the back of the room, listening, observing, interpreting & translating into symbolic images & key words. At
Visual Scribe @ Relationships Australia (TAS) Conference, Hobart Read More »
Following my experience as visual scribe at Calvary Hospital’s Death Café in 2015, one of the organisers Belinda Clarke approached me about being involved in an innovative pilot program she had devised in partnership with Calvary Hospital & two Hobart high schools.A group of Yr 12 girls who were considering a career in nursing, were
Visual Scribe @ Calvary Palliative Care schools pilot program 2016 Read More »
In 2015 I was invited to provide live cartoon “scribing” for a 2-hour “Death Café” event at Calvary Hospital in Hobart. The general public were invited to meet and have open conversations about death and dying – not a grief group, but a safe space in which to normalise the usually-taboo subject. More than 1000
Death Cafe: Visual Scribing @ Calvary Hospital 2015 Read More »
Apr 19 – Kids Like Us (Sandringham) On Sunday April 19 I’ll have the pleasure of continuing some drawing exploration with a small but highly-creative & enthusiastic group of young people from Kids Like Us. This will be our third gathering, and I’m really looking forward to seeing where the journey takes us this time.
Kids Like Us – vital work for (twice) exceptional kids Read More »
Four years ago, the Friends School (Secondary Campus) in Hobart approached me about running my Creative Communication cartoon workshops with their Year 7s, as part of their Connections program. Over three days I worked with all the Year 7 home groups, a different group each day, and about 50 students in each group. What was
Hobart, September 3, 4 & 6 2013 – Friends School, Yr 7s Read More »
Years ago I used to run a cartooning course for adults (5 x full day sessions) in Kingston, for what used to be known as Adult Ed (now Learn Xpress). Teaching adults is a whole other realm to teaching kids – insecurities & self-doubts are more deeply entrenched, as are opinions and habits of perception.
Cartooning For Adults, August 2013 – Kingston Read More »
I always welcome the opportunity to travel a bit in Tassie & visit schools a bit further afield, it rekindles my sense of adventure and reminds me how much stunning country there is to appreciate in this state. And it’s always a pleasure to return to a school I’ve visited before, I like the sense
Launceston, August 6 2013 – Scotch Oakburn College Read More »
Hot on the heels of July’s school holiday workshops, I hurtled headlong into a week-long Artist Residency. Last year Mirjam Holthuis from Cygnet Community Childrens Centre (CCCC) was successful in securing a grant to employ three local artists from the Cygnet area, including myself. Each of the artists were asked to offer creative experiences to
Cygnet Early Childhood Artist-In-Residence, July 2013 Read More »
The Big One! The Kingston LINC cartoon workshops have traditionally been the most well-attended, and this one was no exception. Most of the kids were old-timers who have been coming to these sessions regularly, and most of them went for the hardcore all-day option. But it was also wonderful to see some new faces too,
TAS Holiday Workshops, July 2013 – Kingston LINC Read More »
It’s difficult to have favourites with these workshops because they all offer up fresh delights, but I reckon this day at Glenorchy LINC was one of the most fun for me these holidays. The morning session was just 3 kids (!), but all 3 had booked in for the whole day, so I didnt want
TAS Holiday Workshops, July 2013 – Glenorchy LINC Read More »
After the morning session at Bridgewater LINC, I zipped into Hobart to run a Parent & Child cartoon workshop in Criterion House in the CBD, at the invitation of Amanda Midgley, for the Hobart City Council’s school holiday program. Amanda has been involved in coordinating youth services projects for years now, and we’ve collaborated on
TAS Holiday Workshops, July 2013 – Hobart City Council Read More »
I was invited back to run another cartoon workshop at Bridgewater LINC these holidays (I was there last January hols), thanks to the wonderful Jordyan Coombe! Jordyan really cares about offering opportunities to her community that they wouldn’t normally access, and she very generously subsidised my visit out of her own budget so she could
TAS Holiday Workshops, July 2013 – Bridgewater LINC Read More »
This was an all-day workshop with a busload of kids from the outlying rural areas north of Hobart, as part of the Southern Midlands Council school holiday program. Greg Hunt and his devoted crew do an amazing job of providing these kids with opportunities & experiences that they might not otherwise access. Many of these
TAS Holiday Workshops, July 2013 – Southern Midlands Council Read More »
Back home in gorgeous Tassie after my dash to Melbourne, and straight into a full week of cartoon workshops for the Tas school hols, mostly at southern LINC (library) centres – first stop: Huonville LINC, my local. A small but very inspired group with plenty of wacky ideas! We kicked off with a combo of
TAS Holiday Workshops, July 2013 – Huonville LINC Read More »
Flew back to Melbourne briefly to run a day of school holiday workshops for Eastern Regional Libraries, who cover libraries throughout the Knox, Yarra Ranges and Maroondah shires. Thanks Janet for inviting me to be part of the library school holiday program! It was a fantastic day, kicking off with a morning workshop at Lilydale
Melbourne July 2013 – Eastern Regional Libraries Read More »
In 2001, Wesley College approached me to design a cartooning workshop program addressing bullying, for inclusion in a Yr 7 Resilience Program the college was piloting, and which incorporated many other materials such as drama, video, discussion, writing etc. When Wesley approached me with the commission I had just completed my year-long residency at Pembroke
Melbourne June 2013 – Wesley College Read More »
Another really rewarding 2-day visit to Rowville Secondary, one of my favourite schools to visit (yes, I know, I’m not supposed to have favourites!). This is the fourth year running that I’ve been invited to run the Creative Communication workshops there, thanks to the wonderful leader of the Arts Faculty, Robyn Geake. Each year that
Melbourne June 2013 – Rowville Secondary College Read More »
A whirlwind visit to Upper Ferntree Gully Primary School in the morning, two x 1 hr sessions with Grades 5/6, thanks to their awesome art teacher Nikki Ashman! We focused on facial expressions, the kids were wonderful, really engaged with the process and articulated some great ideas about emotions. Whenever I commence a workshop, there’s
Melbourne June 2013 – Upper Ferntree Gully PS Read More »
Tues June 11 2013 – Landed in Melbourne from Tasmania on the ferry first thing in the morning (boat-lagged!) for a two-week teaching binge, and headed straight over to Yarra Rd Primary School in Nth Croydon to spend a fantastic day catching up again with Grades 3 – 6. But first…. Rewind to March of
Melbourne June 2013 – Yarra Rd PS Read More »
