ARTIST STATEMENT

As an artist I take my inspiration and ideas from the natural environment around me; from my garden to the wide landscapes of the Australian coast and Alpine country. These landscapes are often juxtaposed with images of the city-scapes in which I live and work. I often begin with a small idea, taken from my local environment and then expand the idea to address wider environmental issues. My work is a visual representation of my striving to bring about a greater mindfulness of the fragility of the natural environment and our communities’ role in preserving what we have and it speaks of hope for the future.

I have been drawing since early childhood and took up printmaking in my 30’s as I was continually drawn to admire the work of printmakers from the 15th Century to the present. I now work primarily as a printmaker and continually explore the ways in which I can bring together different media: linocut, etching, woodcut, collograph and also watercolor. The depth of lines and the colors achieved with each of these methods differs and adds richness to my work, which people comment upon and appreciate. I enjoy talking to people about the processes I use to arrive at a finished piece and the ideas behind the art, about how ideas begin small and seem to grow as I work through an idea.

My favourite tool is the lino cutter, as it gives me a sense of drawing within my work as well as a graphic quality to my art. I am inspired daily by the shadows cast upon my studio by the trees in my garden. These shadows, the changing light and color that is around me provides daily fuel for my art.

ARTIST BIO

Monique Keel is a printmaker whose work addresses local and global environmental issues. The work addresses the fragility of the natural world whilst reflecting on the built environment in which she lives and works.

Monique completed her Diploma of Visual Arts at the Council of Adult Education / Box Hill TAFE in 2013 and over the last 4 years has shown in a number of exhibitions in Melbourne. She is a member of the Merri Studios, a group of local printmakers who show their work together on a regular basis and work together to develop their art.

Monique has been drawing since she was a child in Melbourne and lived in Europe and Perth before returning to Melbourne in 2002. She completed numerous short courses in visual arts and then in 2009 decided to put aside her career as a psychologist and focus on printmaking. Over the years she has worked with a number of environmental organisations and it is this commitment to the environment that provides much of her inspiration.