Visiting Darngku (Geikie Gorge) - Framed-

My paintings are inspired by the beauty of nature. This painting was inspired by a photo I took on a very informative heritage cruise of Darngku - Geikie Gorge, in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Darngku is the Aboriginal name of Geikie Gorge, given to it by the traditional owners, the Bunaba. It is part of an ancient limestone barrier reef that developed around 360 million years ago. Since the oceans receded, the Fitzroy River has gouged through the rock forming deep rippled walls.
This has been painted using a palette knife with many layers of paint. It has been painted with a twist of an abstract feel/surreal, as that is how I felt being out there with large slices of rock towering above capturing the sun from various directions. Although a decade ago since being there, reading through our diaries and going through our photos of that time, I felt that I was back there … or wishing I was anyway.
This painting tries to capture the utter peace, stillness, expanse and awe experienced back then. I hope you get a sense of that too when you look at this painting.

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I paint Australian Landscapes sometimes with a twist of abstract! I love to paint funky trees because that's how I see them. I never tire of watching their bark change throughout the seasons, the colours change with different light and the quirky shapes of their limbs. I try to capture their uniqueness in a fun-loving and often whimsical way. I am lucky to paint against a backdrop of trees with birds and kangaroos frequently dropping in... as well as the occasional brown snake!

I started to paint after suffering a Traumatic Brain Injury at 52 years of age. Painting initially helped to "unlock" my inner-self, thoughts and feelings that I found hard to express. Through my continued recovery, painting has become a love and passion, I call it “healing art”. For me, trees are very symbolic. Even when they lose their bark or leaves and look very different to what they were before, they are still a tree, the same tree! That's what it felt like for me after my injury, I felt like a totally different person, I had to re-learn many basic things in life, but I was still the same person deep inside. I still have to remember to "ground" myself at times - and it's the tree that I look to help me.

Sometimes I cover the canvas in whatever pattern and colours “speak” to me, or I clean my paint brushes or palette knives on a spare canvas. This in itself can be an outlet to experiment with colour, shapes or texture. But I also find that it is often an outward expression of the emotions I often bottle up inside. I leave these canvasses to dry and when I come back to them, and paint over them I find beautiful texture and shapes which guide the composition and colour of my next painting. I still have to remember to "ground" myself at times - and it’s the trees that I look to help me. Sometimes I paint the trees in, other times I scrape back to create the tree - revealing blends of wonderful colours. This way I find my process is quite organic and intuitive to how the painting ends up.

In an earlier life I taught Biology to secondary school students and my passion for the environment, wildlife and ecosystems remains strong in my being. My paintings tell a story of places I have been to; of respecting and caring for our natural environment.

My hope is that my art helps others in their healing journey and provides opportunities for connection with others and nature. I hope they encourage good conversations, opportunities for reflection and a reminder to practice mindfulness.

Each painting comes with its unique "story" and a certificate of authentication.