Madonna and Child in The Suburbs 11. (Arranging Flowers).

This painting is the eleventh in a series called Madonna and Child In The Suburbs. I always wonder about Mary. Not only did she have a uniquely crucial role in the christian story but she was also the mother of the human baby Jesus, and, as such, must have spent time doing the things all mothers do -- breastfeeding, changing nappies (or what counted as nappies two millennia ago), struggling with sleeplessness, fatigue and anxiety. This series is not only an appreciation of the unique experience of mother love, but a celebration of the the timeless and transcendent nature of love itself. Because love unites us all, divine and human alike.

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I am an emerging artist from Warrnambool, Victoria. I love to paint people and I have a genuine sense of appreciation for the idiosyncrasies and mystery of all individuals. Whether it’s the feeling of loneliness and despair that can sometimes plague each one of us, the joy of connecting at a party, or the comfort of home, my paintings are a celebration of humanity. I'm interested in the things that connect us, narratives that help us make sense of the world. In these increasingly polarised and atomised times I hope that the characters in my paintings can help remind us that we are more alike than we are different.

I've been a finalist in both the Mandorla Art Prize and the Biblio Art Prize and I've exhibited with Bluethumb Art Gallery at the Affordable Art Fair and in the Next Wave Exhibition in Melbourne. My work was recently selected to exhibit in the ACB Selects exhibition in Sydney. I have five children, one husband, and a scruffy old dog — and I live in a very small house on a big block of land.