This painting features one of my favourite trees which I refer to as Mrs Macquarie's Gum. She can be found at my favourite picnic spot in Sydney's Royal Botanical Gardens. Her twisted serpent like trunk sits low to the ground and my small children are able to climb her branches and get up close and personal with the resident Kookaburras or bumble bees feeding on the gum blossoms, depending on the season.
My art practice is centred around drawing. I sketch Plein air in watercolour and inks, then either complete or recreate the works back in the studio in different mediums as is the case with this large work in oils.
My intention is to capture the raw energy and spirit of the initial sketches outdoors. Like my drawings, my paintings are created predominantly using expressive lines and gestural marks. I like working with Chinese calligraphy brushes to capture movement and create flow within the lines. I am influenced by the Japanese Aesthetic, in particular the patterns found on decorative arts and textiles, as well as traditional Ukiyo-e (floating world) nature scenes.
