Cupids Bow

This is a painting of a young woman curled up on the grass with her eyes closed. She has Cupid's golden arrow in her back.

In classical mythology, Cupid is the god of desire, erotic love, attraction and affection. In art, Cupid often appears in multiple winged and cubby baby boys. Over time he acquired the bow and arrow that represents his source of power. His arrow can be interpreted as a phallic symbol which he uses to exert control over unwilling participants in the name of love and desire.

The visual representation of cupid as an infant is intended to make him appear less threatening, which is why his image is excluded from this painting. His presence is signalled by his arrow which is lodged in the back of a beautiful young woman.

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I'm a Melbourne artist making art about people, identity and relationships. I draw on my experience as a woman and a mother, and as a result, most of my work is about womanhood. I am a passionate advocate of women’s issues and gender equality.

I have an interest in patterns and lines and include them in nearly all my work. My attraction to patterns comes from my love of order (I'm also an accountant), but I mostly like the flat, decorative element it adds. Sometimes the material inspires the subject, but more often than not, I seek out a particular look, colour or pattern to go with the concept I have in mind. Including patterns is a way of adding another dimension to the work.

In 2020, I won the Unearthed Prize by Art to Art gallery in Balwyn. I've been exhibiting since 2012, when I held my first solo show. Prizes for which I have been shortlisted include the 2025 Omnia Prize, 2019 Footscray Art Prize, the 2018 Contemporary Art Prize, the 2016 Hornsby Prize, the 2016 She competition, the Lethbridge 10000 Small-Scale Art Prize, the 2013 Agendo Award and the 2011 Metro Award.  Early in my career, I won the 2013 Yen magazine Female Artist award and won 2 prizes at the Albert Park College Art Show. My artwork is in private collections worldwide and is part of the Standard Chartered Bank art collection, Albert Park College public collection, and the Image Mundi project.