| Having grown up on the eastern
seaboard of Australia, I was naturally subjected to the energies of both
traditional land based Aboriginal culture as well as the influence of Polynesian
culture in the form of surfing. Therefore, unlike those in inland and outback
Australia, I felt the influence upon the arrival of new forms of culture
in the form of all things related to Oceania. This painting was intended
to symbolise my particular slant on the Australian way of life as viewed
from a surfer's perspective as it is intended to be the view from inside
the heart of a wave. The wave also tied in with the local Aboriginal tribal
belief that all new souls arrive through portals in the form of water tunnels.
The tiki symbolises the awesome
power of the ocean as well as being intended to invoke respect for Pacific
island cultures. |
