I grew up on a sheep and cattle property in the New England Tablelands where I freely roamed the wetlands and native bush, drawing and painting the natural landscape from a young age. My love of the Australian bush led me to become an environmental activist throughout my 20’s, and this time spent protecting native flora and fauna has informed my art work ever since.
The wilderness is at the heart of everything I create. The archival places untouched by humans where the ancient trees still grow, where the spaces are clear of tangled regrowth and instead enjoy soft mulch and tiny colored fungi. Bucolic scenes are not for me but the way the light filters through the grey, pink and white trees, the shining native grasses, the many shades of bleached greens, greys and yellows and how a deep burnt orange will create a splash within still surrounds.
My most recent exhibition was painted ‘plein air’ or directly from the landscape and mostly finished at the time of painting. This way of working has an immediacy which is one of my biggest pleasures. Spending all day immersed in wilderness searching and finding surprising colors, forms, light and textures and trying to create both an emotional and visual response is a most rewarding experience.
Using mediums of gouache and watercolour and feeling it slide across the paper expressing the movement of the wind, texture of a banksia or the colour of a gnarly bark has given me the language to express my deep love for the Australian bush.
Education
Diploma in Fine Arts – National Art School, Sydney Australia; 2005-2007
Diploma in Fine Arts – Southbank Institute of TAFE, Brisbane, Australia; 2000-2002
For exhibition history, grants, prizes and residencies please see exhibition category.