Little Mermaid

Fairy tales and nursery rhymes have always interested me for what they tell us about gender roles. Historically the female protagonist was a passive participant in her own story, yet these traditional fairy tales remain popular with the current generation of young girls. In this painting I examine old fashioned storytelling, using both text and imagery, to highlight the often complex and contradictory lessons we teach our children.

This portrait is overlaid with a screen printed image of a mermaid and text from the Sea Shell's rhyme. The mermaid, as viewed by the subject, references the fairy tale of the Little Mermaid and the recent elevation of the mermaid as a popular heroine. In folklore, mermaids are seductive sirens who employ their beauty and their voice to lure men to their watery deaths.

This is contrasted against the She Sells Sea Shells tongue twister, which is inspired by the Victoria- era fossil hunter named Mary Anning. As pioneering palaeontologist, Anning was responsible for the discovery of several categories of animals. The names of women like Mary Anning, who succeeded in the face of prejudice, remain largely uncelebrated in popular culture; hence the rhyme sits behind the subject’s head.

The painting is professionally framed in Tasmanian raw oak and is ready to hang.

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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.