Urban Butcher Birds and Frangipani

This large vibrant painting features a pair of Butcher birds on Frangipani branches, with an expressive background representing the urban environment where I live and enjoy my daily fix of nature. My neighbourhood is semi industrial, and the beautiful wildlife co-exists with the built environment, graffiti and grit. It is painted on very thick archival 640 gsm rough textured Saunders Waterford watercolour paper.

I love adding intricate line work to my paintings and this piece is a good example; the detailed photographs show the fine line work on the feathers of the birds.

I use premium archival paints and cold pressed, textured watercolour paper and I recommend professional framing using archival matt board and glass to display my works on paper - this will protect your investment for many years to come.

All my works are sold unframed unless otherwise stated. Purchase of this artwork does not include reproduction rights. Artwork cannot be copied or used without the artist’s prior permission.

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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.