Lilly & Lola

The owl is commonly associated with wisdom and is nearly always cast as male in children's nursery rhymes and fairy tales. In my painting I have sought to make the wise owl a female character by placing her with the girl. They lean into each other, sharing a connection and an intimate moment.

This painting in particular was inspired by two nursery rhymes; The Wise Old Owl and the Owl and the Pussy Cat. In both cases the language tells us that the owl is male and attributes certain characteristics to him. For example, in A Wise Old Owl, the owl is observant and wise. In the Owl and the Pussy Cat, the owl is charming while the cat is beautiful and wants to get married. Being wise and worldly are traits that are stereotypically attributed to males while females are portrayed as being more interested in their appearance and attracting a husband.

While these old fashioned rhymes have gone out of favour, there are many popular children's stories which continue to precipitate these gender stereotypes by casting wise owls as male. It has been said that an owl appears in one form or another in every Disney picture and you can be sure that nearly all of them are male. Some examples include Bambi, Sleeping Beauty and Winnie the Pooh. Even Australia's own Giggle and Hoot. I've invited a wise owl called Lola..... or maybe Lilly.

This painting comes professional framed in a raw oak frame and is ready to hang. Signed by artist on the front and the back.

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I'm a Melbourne artist making art about people, identity and relationships. I draw on my experience as a woman and a mother, and as a result, most of my work is about womanhood. I am a passionate advocate of women’s issues and gender equality.

I have an interest in patterns and lines and include them in nearly all my work. My attraction to patterns comes from my love of order (I'm also an accountant), but I mostly like the flat, decorative element it adds. Sometimes the material inspires the subject, but more often than not, I seek out a particular look, colour or pattern to go with the concept I have in mind. Including patterns is a way of adding another dimension to the work.

In 2020, I won the Unearthed Prize by Art to Art gallery in Balwyn. I've been exhibiting since 2012, when I held my first solo show. Prizes for which I have been shortlisted include the 2025 Omnia Prize, 2019 Footscray Art Prize, the 2018 Contemporary Art Prize, the 2016 Hornsby Prize, the 2016 She competition, the Lethbridge 10000 Small-Scale Art Prize, the 2013 Agendo Award and the 2011 Metro Award.  Early in my career, I won the 2013 Yen magazine Female Artist award and won 2 prizes at the Albert Park College Art Show. My artwork is in private collections worldwide and is part of the Standard Chartered Bank art collection, Albert Park College public collection, and the Image Mundi project.