Kookaburra at the Billabong - 2022

Pattern in nature soothes and satisfies us because of its rhythmic quality and unique imperfections. Like a visual mantra, repetition for me creates a sense of order and a deep state of peace. So I am interested in the way we all seek out, create, and use pattern to express cultural identity and find our place in the world.

This vibrant watercolour painting of a Laughing kookaburra perched in a Gum tree is from a series of works titled 'Motif'. The works in this collection are an introspective view of the greater Australian landscape, of the incredible bird life surrounding my inner city home, and the patterns I find in the variety of native and exotic plant species that grow together in its streets and gardens - the tree barks, leaf veins, petals, and fruit, and in this case, water and surrounding rocks. Representing them in my work is a way of sharing my development of connectedness and identity in this place I love and now call home.

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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.