David 'Meggs' Hooke: Finding Flow

Personally, 'Finding Flow' is as much about my eternal pursuit of being in this creative flow state as it is about making time to explore practices that better connect me to the rhythms of the world around me. Over time, my practice has evolved into a more profound affection for, and exploration of, natural landscapes (mostly coastal) as well as my own mental health challenges (namely anxiety).

From 2015 to 2019, I lived in the USA, between LA, Hawai'i, and Detroit, which gave me insight into the comparison between dense cities and quiet coastal lifestyles. So in 2022, post-COVID lockdowns, I moved from the inner North of Melbourne to a calm beach & bayside suburb on the (Southern) Mornington Peninsula. This move felt like a necessary departure from the pressures of inner-city life and hustle culture to dedicate more time, space and thought to my natural surroundings. 

It was this change in environment that began the threads that have led to this body of work. The works in 'Finding Flow' were created in this coastal environment through 2025 and are a continual exploration of my personal relationship to place and self, which began with my previous solo show, 'Rain to Rust' (2021) at Backwoods. 

These works manifested from time spent exploring coastal landscapes, chasing waves and watching the sky change. Life is always in a state of change, growth and decay, and my process has become a more intimate observation of these fluctuations. I have enjoyed capturing observations and evidence of how energy and time manifest themselves in our environment through both serenity and chaos, and interpreting them through my visual language. 

One of the starting points for this body of work is a series of works on glass panes aptly titled 'Finding Flow'. This series began whilst living in LA, where I started using square glass panes as my paint palette. One day, I discovered the underside of this palette revealed beautiful abstract work that occurred 'unconsciously' whilst painting 'conscious' work. This discovery became an inspiration for me to further explore abstraction—a state of mind conducive to flow—and the means of subconscious creativity. 

Colour, intuitively, has a way of positively transforming our spirits. My observations of the ever-changing ocean, sky and landscape directly inspire the colours in this work. The textures and compositions that inform this work refer to those observed in the patterns created by wind, water, and time spent wandering and contemplating the cliff faces, beach rocks, and tide pools near my home.

The 'billposter' series in this exhibition serves as a visual link between my inner-city living experience and my present coastal lifestyle. These were salvaged during the COVID lockdowns, when no new events were taking place and Melbourne experienced a cultural disconnection and growing anxiety. Although they are manufactured, these posters degrade over time due to exposure to the natural elements.

The creation of this work is therapeutic in itself, and my goal is to visually capture the conversation between serenity and chaos to understand personal fulfilment and harmony in life better. Externally, I hope that these artworks inspire similar feelings of positivity, movement, and connection in others, which, in some way, can contribute to the greater need for peace and self-awareness at a time when it is necessary to counter prejudice and division.