Gum Trees in the Rain- 2021

This painting of Gum Trees in the rain sits somewhere in-between representation and abstraction which is where my art practice wants to go at the moment. I had been enjoying working outside with my easel and watercolours (until we entered our recent lockdown here in Sydney).
I take these plein air sketches back to the studio and use them as a starting point for larger works on canvas. I am enjoying getting lost in the painting and letting go of the idea of a destination, while allowing the memory and spirit of the bush guide me.
The oil paint requires a completely different approach to watercolour, and my intention is to capture the raw energy of the initial loose sketches in thick paint. Framed in a beautiful solid Raw oak frame ready to hang.

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I’ve been making art for most of my life, though the path here hasn’t been completely straightforward. What was meant to be a one-year trip from the UK to Sydney in 1994 somehow turned into a permanent move, and Australia has felt like home ever since.
A lot of my work begins outdoors; walking, noticing plants growing through fences, strange colour combinations in nature, or bringing home flowers and cuttings to paint in the studio. Painting has always been a way for me to slow down and pay attention. It’s where I feel most myself.
Before returning to painting full-time in 2015, I worked across surface pattern design, printmaking and graphic design, and those influences still shape the way I paint today; through colour, rhythm, line and composition. I’m also deeply inspired by the simplicity and spontaneity of Chinese and Japanese ink painting, calligraphy and woodblock prints, though my work has gradually evolved into something much looser and more contemporary over time.
Since returning to full-time practice, my work has been exhibited in solo and group shows across Australia and selected as a finalist in prizes including the Calleen Art Award, Lethbridge Prize, Bluethumb Art Prize and the National Contemporary Watercolour Prize. My paintings and prints have also been licensed onto homewares and collected internationally.
I still feel genuinely grateful that I get to spend my days painting, and I hope that sense of joy, calm and curiosity finds its way into the work itself.