I tend to base my art on the experiences, things and people closest to me, then through the subject matter and the painting process I explore wider ideas and themes.

My current series of shoes stemmed from a painting I'd done of the old hiking boots I'd worn on several overseas adventures, including two years living in and backpacking around Latin America.

I was interested in their symbolic content, not only of that journey (and my current journey as an artist) but of the inherent nature and desire of Australians to travel abroad. For young Australians it is often a rite of passage, providing a global perspective and in T.S.Eliot's words, the end of our exploring is perhaps to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time. Or at least a little better and with greater appreciation.

The shoes are, in part, self portraits, they are also referencing our propensity to travel but more acutely I am using them to explore ideas of modern Australian lifestyle and culture, our immigrant history and our brief and tumultuous association with this ancient land.

Steve Tyerman, 2007