JOURNAL
Here I share thoughts and feelings about what inspires my paintings, and information about my latest work and activities.
Upcoming exhibition – encounters with Australian nature
A public and free exhibition of my work is scheduled to be held in the Melbourne City Library public gallery during spring 2020. The exhibition will feature recent works that depict Australian nature accompanied by written memories of how I found them. I will post more information as the date
Local gumnuts
It’s autumn and I know the sun is setting earlier, but I still have time to take a longer route on my walk home before I am confined inside for the night. I turn down a street I rarely go down because there is no reason for me to ever
Magenta and fuscia gumnuts
Beneath the eucalypt tree I can faintly smell its leaves and hear a shrill myna searching for nectar above. The red and pink fluffy stamen of gumnuts surround my feet in a carpet on the ground, in a similar way that my hair lines the floor after a haircut. It’s
Summer banksia
The shade from the trees is the only reason I am able to be out here in this heat for this long. I’m not carrying enough water to be able to walk for hours in direct sunlight. The vegetation around me thrives in this weather and won’t care if I
Spring wattle
I push the pedals hard to get my mountain bike up over the ridge. I have arrived at a Y junction in the dirt track. If I go right I can roll smoothly downhill towards the river. If I go left I’ll need to navigate a narrow, rocky path, chunky
Local grevillea
When the sun came out for the first time today I decided to get outside and enjoy it. The front door closes behind me and I feel the sunrays brushing my face and can still smell moisture in the air from the morning’s light rain. If embarking on a pointless
Greater crested tern on Sydney beach
I walk along the path that follows low cliffs and look out over the sparkling bay. Yachts and motorboats bounce across white peaks at various speeds while the stationary smaller boats of amateur fishermen bob in their wakes. On the other side are large ocean-facing residences of the more fortunate
Looking up at the bees
It’s a crisp winter morning and I’m walking to the beach because I know it will be void of people. Around here most people don’t go there until it’s sunny and over 20 degrees. There is nobody on this bike path and no distractions which is probably why I notice
Two fairy wrens
The black surface of the water in the sinkhole makes me pay particular attention to where I’m placing my feet. On a cool day like this I fear falling in would make my body shut down and I’d sink to the bottom. This is my first time in the Tarkine
