Pamela Woods "On Your Head" 

The images I have created here combine some of my life long interests, people, absurdity, tattooed bodies and animals - all these elements reoccur in my work. I'm a bit of a drawing hoarder. Constantly doodling and I'm fascinated by people and faces. These images have been drawn digitally, I am not very technical, so I tend to simply use my ipad and draw as I would with traditional tools. Working this way means I can share my work more easily via fine art prints, I find this accessibility really exciting. Some of the portraits are of friends and others are completely imaginary or based on figures such as Maud Wagner the first 'lady tattoo artist.'

I take inspiration and absorb whatever is happening around me, politics, pop cuture wise, so in the inception of 'On Your Head' I was amused by Paul Hogan's description of Pauline Hanson as a pelican. I started to draw her but as I did, I found her face more and more distasteful. I think I have discovered through this work that I really need to have an affection for the people I draw and Hanson is someone I loathe so she's gone on the back burner for now. Likewise the current bird flu crisis is distressing and seems to have seeped into the images, more birds appear than I had planned, an ibis, the budgie in a cage, a pigeon and a swan. I have dozens of other people and animals swirling in my head and I plan to do many more people with animals on their heads after the September residency at Hopsters

Credit image: Image of a woman with a cat on her head

@pamelawoodssydneyartist