New artworks inspired by Orcas Island, San Juan Islands.

The ferry sings between rocky island outcrops that form the San Juan islands, their edges smoothed by long-melted glaciers. The tops of the islands burst in dense Coast Douglas fir. There’s a delicious slowness to it all, we’re all unhurried together. Kids run past us barking like dogs. Grey muzzled chihuahuas totter past like octogenarians. I make quick sketches as things pass by, simple outlines … Continue reading New artworks inspired by Orcas Island, San Juan Islands.

Ray MondeAugust 31, 2021Leave a comment

Art

How to pass the time.

It’s a cold June night. The power has been out since 4.30pm. I’ve cooked fried eggs in chilli on the wood stove and lit my last two candles. For a while, I blow out the candles, sit on the sofa in the dark and watch the firelight flicker on the wood panelled ceiling. Then I just sit, in the dark. The cuckoo clock stirs into … Continue reading How to pass the time.

Ray MondeJune 4, 2021Leave a comment

Art

Gearing up for The Other Art Fair Melbourne

I play silly mind games with myself. I always have since I was a kid. Last year, before The Other Art Fair Sydney, as I undressed to get into bed, I threw my clothes towards the dirty clothes basket and thought “If I get them in, I’ll sell one of my pieces”. My clothes didn’t make it into the basket. Not a sock. You can … Continue reading Gearing up for The Other Art Fair Melbourne

Ray MondeApril 12, 2017April 12, 2017Leave a comment

Art

Finding your twin is not easy

Here’s the thing – getting a commission from someone is always a little bit tricksy. You go from doing whatever you like, whatever is in your head, to creating something for a specific person with specific tastes for a specific environment. Even though many benefactors will say ‘Do whatever you like!”, you can’t not be influenced by them. You want them to like what you … Continue reading Finding your twin is not easy

Ray MondeJanuary 31, 20171 Comment

Art

The serendipitious nature of art inspiration

Having worked as a creative in the advertising industry for 20 years, it was always a bit of a mystery where the creative idea came from. I remember my 16 year old nephew doing work experience with me and he went home after a week to tell his father that for a job I drank coffee, went for walks, sat around and talked and read … Continue reading The serendipitious nature of art inspiration

Ray MondeJanuary 23, 2017Leave a comment

Art

Rest well Michael Chamberlain, you fought hard for justice

In a strange way, Michael Chamberlain is responsible for starting my life as an artist. It’s even stranger since we never met, I never sat in his classes or heard his voice fill a room. By chance, I saw Azaria’s baby bracelet in a display cabinet at the National Library of Australia and that simple object brought home the obscene tragedy of parents being charged … Continue reading Rest well Michael Chamberlain, you fought hard for justice

Ray MondeJanuary 17, 2017January 17, 2017Leave a comment

Art

Bringing Vincent Van Gogh back to life

There’s something truly audacious about creating a movie about Vincent Van Gogh that is animated in a painting style mimicking his own. It’s an endeavour that’s setting an incredibly high bar, it’s something that’s almost impossible to pull off, yet in my head I want nothing more than for it to succeed. The whole idea of seeing a world as imagined through the lens of … Continue reading Bringing Vincent Van Gogh back to life

Ray MondeAugust 16, 2016Leave a comment

Art

Bumping in to M16 Artspace

In just an hour I set up my works for my new show, It’s for your own good. These works explore experiences from my childhood that inform who I am now. It’s extraordinarily handy having all the works the same size and so expertly framed, because it was a simple case of banging in a nail in the wall and hanging the works. You can … Continue reading Bumping in to M16 Artspace

Ray MondeMay 24, 20162 Comments

Art

Can you trust your childhood memories?

In an new art exhibition, artist Monde Monde questions whether our childhood memories are real or concocted in the tangled-web of our consciousness. Continue reading Can you trust your childhood memories?

Ray MondeMay 6, 2016Leave a comment