Wattle Whispering

I have been finding myself immersed in discovering the joy of painting still life floral arrangements. I am particularly drawn to wattle, and having just passed the flurry of blooms that comes with the end of winter, it was time to make a return visit, as I do every year.

There is something about the structure of the branches, leaves and blooms. So neat and uniform when closely observed, yet scattered and almost unorganised at a quick glance.

Wattle Whispering is a welcome hello to my favourite amber vase. Short, stocky, utilitarian and forgiving, it offers a generous warm hug to any arrangement it holds.

This work had been playing in my mind for weeks as the flowers began to bloom. How could I express my feelings of space and quietness, while still holding onto warmth and those unexpected clumps of joy?

So I took a different path. I toned down my palette, yet allowed a nod to turquoise to reveal itself, without neglecting the wink of fluoro pink that keeps my work playful and approachable.

I loved working with texture in a different way too. I left brush marks and imperfections visible, inviting you in to slow down, look closely, and listen to the whispers of the wattle.

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Jess is a Geelong-based artist whose creative practice has been a constant throughout her life, from childhood through to today.

In 2022, she formally studied Visual Arts, deepening a lifelong instinct to create.
While much of her adult life was spent as a high-performing athlete, art was never set aside; it continued to evolve alongside her.

Jess paints to explore not just a subject, but the experience of it.
The way it felt, and how it shifts as it is reimagined through texture, movement and mark.
Each piece is less about capturing something as it was, and more about allowing it to evolve into something new.

“I’m not drawn to a place or a thing. It’s a feeling. Something that stays with me long enough that I know I need to paint it, even if I don’t fully understand it yet.”

Her memoir, Why Not Me? A Lifelong Journey of 1%’ers & Becoming a World Champion is one part of a broader life shaped by discipline, curiosity and creative expression.