Adrian Caesar and I have collaborated on a new book: Sky Writing.
The book brings together Adrian’s poignant new poetry collection with my illustrations. Many years ago, Adrian was my literature teacher at the Australian Defence Force Academy, so working together now as poet and artist feels particularly special — a meaningful full-circle moment.
Thank you to Vani Newby for the beautiful photography and digital collages she created from my artworks, and to Soile Paloheimo for her expertise and style in designing the book.
We are really excited to share our creation with you! Please come to our book launch / poetry readying / art exhibition at the Australian National Veterans Arts Museum as part of the Festival of Veteran Arts on Monday 23 March, 6–9 pm. Please RSVP here !
Can’t make it to Melbourne? We will launch in Canberra on Monday, 20 April at Smiths Alternative, 6 pm.
In the voices of a brother and sister, the poems in Sky Writing tell of a tragic love story from different perspectives. The life of an RAF pilot, friend to the brother, lover to the sister, comes to a premature end in a flying accident. The poems explore the collision of romantic love with the doomed romance of military service and provide an elegiac refrain for both.
My artistic response to the poems amplifies their significance, providing a vivid and thought-provoking complementary visual experience.
Taken together, the poems and images create an alternative memorial to more traditional modes of remembrance.
