Biba Blackbird - Motif Series 2021

This painting featuring a Blackbird, is a continuation on a theme from a series of works titled 'Motif' which explores pattern and identity. I come from a design and print background and my art practice tends to spill back over into design territory on occasion. This particular pattern is an adaptation of a traditional Japanese motif and features heavily in my works on paper in various incarnations.

Used at this larger scale with a colour gradation of yellow ochres to rust, and with the addition of the stylised Stephania plant, It exudes (purely by accident) a 1970's Pantone era design vibe, and would look amazing hanging on the wall of your Mid Century style home.

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I’ve been making art for most of my life, though the path here hasn’t been completely straightforward. What was meant to be a one-year trip from the UK to Sydney in 1994 somehow turned into a permanent move, and Australia has felt like home ever since.
A lot of my work begins outdoors; walking, noticing plants growing through fences, strange colour combinations in nature, or bringing home flowers and cuttings to paint in the studio. Painting has always been a way for me to slow down and pay attention. It’s where I feel most myself.
Before returning to painting full-time in 2015, I worked across surface pattern design, printmaking and graphic design, and those influences still shape the way I paint today; through colour, rhythm, line and composition. I’m also deeply inspired by the simplicity and spontaneity of Chinese and Japanese ink painting, calligraphy and woodblock prints, though my work has gradually evolved into something much looser and more contemporary over time.
Since returning to full-time practice, my work has been exhibited in solo and group shows across Australia and selected as a finalist in prizes including the Calleen Art Award, Lethbridge Prize, Bluethumb Art Prize and the National Contemporary Watercolour Prize. My paintings and prints have also been licensed onto homewares and collected internationally.
I still feel genuinely grateful that I get to spend my days painting, and I hope that sense of joy, calm and curiosity finds its way into the work itself.