2024, Linocut print, Watercolour drawing

Maureen discovered this wonderful photograph in the archives while working at History House and decided to pay homage to the photographer with this linocut.

2019, Linocut print

2019, Linocut print

2017, Monoprint

c.2017, Monoprint

c. 2017, Monoprint

c. 2018, Linocut

2019, Linocut Print

This is a portrait of Maureen’s three formidable Aunts with their hats and handbags and their even more formidable shadows creeping up the wall behind

2020, Linocut

From the collection, Distinguishing Marks.

"Last year I received a diagnosis of breast cancer for my birthday. After hitting the gin with my stalwart friend Jill, I felt as if I had the whole business under my belt and could get on with the projects I had in hand.

Not true.

Every night for a week or so, I found myself lying in bed at night absolutely rigid with a deep sense of impending doom. Dread. It grips you, smothers you and won’t let go.

This print is about that experience. It doesn’t come close, but might, if it were at least twenty metres square and accompanied by booming, screeching sound effects."

2020, Linocut

From the collection, Distinguishing Marks.

”I don’t know if I was more scared of my ancestors materialising than I was of cancer, but I got a grip, started to grow a backbone and took heart that I wasn’t the only person to have to face such horrors. A big thank you to the women who were silently watching my back. You were great.”

2020, Linocut

Not since giving birth have I been obliged to expose so much of my body to strangers. Bright lights shining a spotlight on my flabby bits, being photographed inside and out …

Horrible.

What could I say? Do you want just a little peek or the full frontal? Have you ever met a nipple quite like this one? Ah well, my only consolation was that I’d lived in this body quite a long time and frankly, like an old car, it showed its mileage.

2020, Linocut print

From the collection, Distinguishing Marks

"My daughter was driving me to the hospital in Warrnambool for my mastectomy when she suddenly pulled over and stopped the car. It was a really beautiful morning with the sun rising over the hill and shining through the mist drifting off the paddocks.

'Let me take a photo of your last day with two breasts.'

So it was out of the car and a photo-shoot on the road with that lovely morning as a backdrop.

I am so lucky to have a daughter who knows how to melt stress and fear right off the bone with humour and love."

2020, Linocut

From the collection, Distinguishing Marks.

”Wanted to, nearly did, really, really nearly did. That’s the sort of coward I am. With my daughter holding my hand, I went in. Glad I did. They were very kind, those people with sharp things behind those scary doors.”

2020, Linocut

From the collection, Distinguishing Marks.

”This print shows is how I felt when what I thought was the worst of the worst turned out to be painless and done with.

Whoopee!!! Give that surgeon a big red balloon!”

2020, Linocut

From the collection, Distinguishing Marks.

This image was created during chemotherapy treatment.

”An artist friend, Carmel had suggested I start drawing again to visualise this alternate reality. So, I gave up sorting screws in the shed in the middle of the night and instead, sat in the dark outside, drawing what was going on. The chairs in these prints started to emerge as a sort of umbilical cord linking me back to the real world.”

2020, Linocut print

From the collection, Distinguishing Marks.

“Those chairs have a certain stern presence. Are they the backbone aunties? They are looking at me like it’s a job interview. Am I up to the challenge?”

2020, Linocit

From the collection, Distinguishing Marks

And there they go!
Off to the stars and I wish I could go with them.
The sky is so large and my problems so infinitely small.

2020, Linocut print

From the collection, Distinguishing Marks.

”My hair fell out and, hooray, hooray, no more chin plucking! Then, one morning, I saw the real me in the mirror and, horrors, realised that I had turned into an old man! Bald head, wrinkles, blotches. Hey! this wasn’t what I had in mind.”

2020, Linocut print

From the collection, Distinguishing Marks.

”One of the many embarrassing moments of recovering from chemo. Lucky my daughter was there or there might have been a little accident. This isn’t the place to detail other surprising moments that took me back to babyhood. I’m not telling. But, there were tears.”

2020, Linocut

From the collection, Distinguishing Marks.

”What I liked about this photograph was that my feet were pointed one way and my body the other way, as if I were at a crossroad, looking back to where I had started and ready to take off to a new and interesting phase of my life.”

2021, Linocut

Designed to be a handprinted label for a local egg producer. The label project didn’t eventuate but this beautiful print exists nonetheless.

Collage

Created from a dramatic photo of New York City as seen from the Empire State Building taken by Maureen’s close friend Jill Perkins.

c.1990

A study of a snail's shell as seen through a microscope.

2023, Watercolour pencil on paper

An extension of the series of garden works found in Amongst the Trees, an artist’s book of paintings created in 2023/24. The series was created in response to an exhibition callout at Portland Library and as a distraction while recovering from cancer treatment.

c.2010, Collage

2023, Watercolour drawing

These pictures were created during Maureen’s second round of chemotherapy during which she looked out at rooftops from the top floor of the cancer ward in Warrnambool.