Nocturnal Enlightenment.

Owls are mysterious and elusive creatures of the night giving them a dark veil of curiosity and intrigue. They are spoken about with wonder or fear, spun in stories of magic, darkness, and supernatural encounters. Owls represent wisdom, knowledge, change, transformation, intuitive development, and trusting the mystery. The owl represented here is the Australian Barn Owl. Its large eyes and pale, round face further accentuates the supernatural and alien aspect of the painting.

I do love it when cosmic objects have fun names, the galaxy behind the owl here is the Sobrero galaxy, or M104, first discovered in 1781. The nearly edge-on galaxy is a brilliant, white, bulbous core encircled by thick dust lanes comprising the spiral structure of the galaxy. This dark, dusty lane is the site of star formation in the galaxy while the center is home to a massive black hole.
Sombrero galaxy has rich system of globular clusters, estimated to be nearly 2,000 in number — 10 times more than the number of globular clusters in our Milky Way galaxy. The ages of the clusters are similar to those in the Milky Way, ranging from 10-13 billion years old.
With an apparent magnitude of 8, the Sombrero galaxy is beyond the limit of naked-eye visibility but can be spotted through small telescopes. M104 is located 28 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo, and with a mass equal to 800 billion suns, it is one of the most massive objects in the Virgo galaxy cluster.
This painting expresses the wonder and awe felt when connecting to the cosmos, understanding its creation and humanities interaction with it. I'm not just talking about the stars and galaxies but everything - from the smallest particle to the greatest majesties of nature.

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I am blessed with being able to work full-time as a professional artist in my studio at GIGS Artists' Studios, Gateway Village, Wodonga. Although I have exhibited regularly I am always exploring new avenues including murals, some of which I've completed locally and abroad.

Two of my great passions in life are the environment and painting. Through painting I question our role in relation with nature as I seek to spread the awareness that the natural world is threatened both directly by human abuse and indirectly by overpopulation. It is obvious that we – modern society – have become increasingly detached from nature and in order to secure a place for future generations (all species alike) it is vital that we tune ourselves in with the environment and regain greater awareness of our planet and thus take better responsibility of it.

I have the belief that artists and art-making has the potential to point out the importance of environmental integrity – through speaking to emotion and passion for nature. Admiration for nature is intrinsic for all of us, yet it is something we deny or neglect through day-to-day living. As artists, we have the capability to connect with society and direct public attention. My work is intended to inspire change that may help sustain a healthy planet.