The Banksia is my muse and has been my obsession and subject for the last few years. I have coined a phrase – Banksia Imaginata – to describe the body of works that spring from my dreams and from my imagination inspired by the unique structure, colour and pattern found in this Australian native plant species. I love discovering the constant overlapping of nature, science, and art, and the discovery of patterns in all these. I see patterns as integral to life; the very fabric of life, whether human, botanical or animal.
My art works also reflect my love of colour and my interest in all Australian flora and fauna. Making art is important to my well-being; an act of joy and intense absorption of attention. When I'm in the moment, my worries drop away. I want people who see my artworks to feel the joy I feel about the beauty of the natural world. If there is one thing I’m trying to communicate, it’s that.
My method is often guided by the materials; letting them medium show the way, emulating the randomness of nature in the act of making art. Concern for the environment leads me to re-use everyday items in her mark making techniques - from kitchen tools to paper coffee cups, cardboard and sticks, envelopes, magazines, and plastic waste material. My artworks (canvas, wood panel or paper based) are created using a variety of mediums: oil, acrylic, gouache and watercolour paints, inks, coloured pencils, wax pastels and collage. Occasionally fabric and thread are used.
I describe myself as a “late bloomer” because the return to study in 2007 after raising my children paved the way for the overwhelming urge to immerse myself in learning about and making art. Completion of a bachelor degree in media and communications (majoring in visual communication) in 2014 was immediately followed up with a Diploma of Visual Art. Now of course, I'm working hard to pay off my HECS debt!
From 2017 - 2021, I cemented my art practice working from a studio in the Nicholas Building, Melbourne’s iconic artist hub right in the heart of the city. From mid 2021 after moving house, I'm lucky to have a large home studio with a view of the back garden.
Many and widely varied influences include the Arts & Crafts movement artists and designers such as William Morris, JH Dearle, CFA Voysey, Walter Crane, mid-century American modernist painters such as Mark Rothko, Ellsworth Kelly, natural history illustrators such as Ernst Haekl and Celia Rosser, as well as the late American artist Rex Ray. Australian influences include John Olsen, Roy de Maistre, and contemporary artists Gail Dell, Tiffany Calder Kingston and Dana Kinter.