Blush Pink Cockatoo in Palm Forest

This work is published in the book 'Cockatoo' by Thames and Hudson, here's your chance to own the original!

This peachy pink cockatoo perched on a Palm would make a lovely addition to your wall. I paint for pure pleasure, often mixing reality with a bit of fantasy or artist's license as it's often referred to. This cockatoo in blush pink hues is living amongst a collection of ferns and palms I find on my daily walks around my neighbourhood. The blue/green/grey hues of the botanicals are really pleasing against that pink. Check out the intricate white details on the bird and delicate embellishment on the palm leaves. This is a really lovely piece.

I enjoy working on heavy watercolour paper with calligraphy brushes and using a limited colour palette – usually one or two colours. I have been captivated by old botanical and animal engravings since I was a child, and this, as well as my love of Chinese ornament is the inspiration behind much of my work.

All work is sold unframed and is carefully wrapped and rolled into a cardboard tube for safe shipping.

Purchase of this artwork does not include reproduction rights. Artwork cannot be copied or used without the artist’s prior permission.

Follow

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.