Teacher Shortage
50 x 80cm / 20 x 31 inches: $4000
 
Immigrants
 22 x 30.5cm / 9 x 12 inches: $1500
 
Sacred Botanical  
60 x 90 cm / 24 x 36 inches: $5000
 
Red Symphony
12 x 16 inches: $1800

Feathering My Nest
50 x 82cm / 20 x 32 inches: $4000
 
Leonora Carrington
22 x 30 cm / 9 x 12 inches: $2500
 
Leonora Fini
29 x 41cm / 12 x 16 inches: $2400
 
Tableland Rock
55 x 80 cm / 22 x 31 inches: $4000
 
Moonlight Sonata
40 x 51cm / 16 x 20 inches: $1800

22 x 30 cm / 9 x 12 inches:
Available for sale: $2500

This painting is a tribute to the surrealist artist, Leonora Carrington.
 
I first met Leonora Carrington ( UK 1917-Mexico 2011)  when investigating female surrealist painters of the 40s.  
(Carrington, along with Leonor Fini and Varo make up the  triumfeminatus of brilliant female surrealists working during those years.)
 
When  Carrington’s lover, surrealist painter Max Ernst, was arrested (first by the French, then by the Nazis) in France in the early 1940s, Carrington made her way to Mexico.
 
It was here, she became part of the Mexican surrealist movement- a movement that was riotously productive during the 1940s 50s and 60s.
Lenora, like Varo, was fascinated by the esoteric. Just recently, a deck of tarot cards she designed and painted for her own personal use have come to light.
 
In April 2024, one of Carrington’s paintings – Les Distractions de Dagobert (1945) – was sold at Sotheby’s in New York for $28.5m, making her the highest-selling female artist in British history.
 
As well as being a painter and writer, Carrington was also a sculptor, a creator of tapestries and jewellery, a maker of lithographs, a playwright and a designer of stage sets and theatre costumes.
 
 As an artist, Leonora mixed in circles with notable artists of the day. She considered Frida Kahlo a close friend.
 
I came to love Leonora when I was researching another surrealist painter heroine of mine - Remedios Varo. Both of these women were sensitive individuals who channelled this quality through their work. In doing so they built themselves a world of  independence, lore, beauty and enchantment. I encourage you to find out more about Leonora and her circle- and further enrich your life, as she has enriched mine.

Leonor Fini (1907-1966) became the  Parisian surrealist sensation of her day. She painted her inner life, and many of her paintings feature herself as the protagonist. She exhibited in over 350 exhibitions; half of these were solo shows.
She loved  dressing in extravagant costumes, saying these costumes were an extension of herself, a truer part of herself. She loved making an entrance,  whether it was to her own exhibitions, or to a party.
 
This is in stark contrast to her childhood where she was often dressed as a boy in order to evade recognition by her father, who even once tried to kidnap her and bring her back to his home in Argentina.
 
Her childhood is a whole fascinating chapter. Briefly: Leonor’s  fierce independence, and acute sensitivity, can be traced back to her  mother. Although Leonor was born in Argentina, both her parents were actually European, having migrated to Argentina. Soon after Leonor was born, Leonor’s mother left her father and travelled back with Leonor to Italy. No one knows why she left, but a woman leaving her husband with a newborn in the early 1900s, was something unheard of. This speaks her mother’s protectiveness, independence, and drive.
 
Leonor‘s father actually did attempt to kidnap  Leonor  when she was still a very small child, and it was one of the most terrifying moments of her life. This darkness is referred to in some of her work and can be linked back to this traumatic childhood incident.
 
 As an artist, Leonor mixed in circles with notable artists of the day,  Henri Cartier-Bresson, Leonora Carrington, Salvador Dali & Max Ernst.
She is a fascinating character, and photos that you will find of her, show her rich inner life expressing itself through performance.
 
I came to love Leonor when I was researching another surrealist hero of mine - Remedies Varo. Both of these women were sensitive individuals who channelled this quality through their work. In doing so they built themselves a world of  independence, lore, beauty and enchantment. I encourage you to find out more about Leonor and her circle- and further enrich your life, as she has enriched mine.
 

 
 

50 x 82cm / 20 x 32 inches
Available for sale: $4000

This is the second painting in a series called Literacy of The Body.
 
This painting is about celebrating older women;
Experiences lived by the body,
In the body;
It’s about the resilient spirit of our bodies.
And about celebrating our changing bodies,
Laying down self destructive criticism and sweeping away the criticism we’ve taken on by society and others about our bodies.
It’s about acceptance -
Self acceptance.
An acknowledging of strength, courage and resilience.
 
Lilies and feathers, both seemingly fragile but incredibly resilient. These directly relate to the intention of this series of work: celebrating the body. Lilies have many symbolic meanings- but in this work I focus on the specific meaning of renewal. These lilies sprung up everywhere in our garden after the rain- utterly beautiful despite the drastically wet conditions. Feathers- light and fragile, but bring warmth and comfort unlike any other material.
 
I have used  many, many  glaze layers to build up the oil paint to replicate skin. My layering technique uses a rapid fluttering of the brush to infuse the painting with as much  of my energy as possible, while replicating the complex layering of skin. The process moves between chaos and abandon.
The whole is a mediative dance.

40 x 51cm / 16 x 20 inches
Available for sale: $1800
 
This was the first painting in a series called Literacy of The Body.
 
This painting is about celebrating older women;
Experiences lived by the body,
In the body;
Its about the resilient spirit of our bodies.
And about celebrating our changing bodies,
Laying down self destructive criticism and sweeping away the criticism we’ve taken on by society and others about our bodies.
It’s about acceptance -
Self acceptance.
An acknowledging of strength, courage and resilience.
 
The eucalyptus silhouettes are a tribute to Sydney Long’s art nouveau works. The moon being a constant night time companion, is female in its symbolism and a mirror of personal contemplation.
 
I have used  many, many  glaze layers to build up the oil paint to replicate skin. My layering technique uses a rapid fluttering of the brush to infuse the painting with as much  of my energy as possible, while replicating the complex layering of skin. The process moves between chaos and abandon.
The whole is a meditative dance.

55 x 80 cm / 22 x 31 inches
Available for sale: $4000
 

This is a painting about resilience and strength. 
The resilience of the land, the resilience of our bodies. The strength of the rock, the warmth of the sun, the play of light and shadow over the body. There is not one without the other- we are inextricably linked.
The rock formations you see in the painting are some of the very few undulations in the rock, the rest of which is completely flat (giving it its other name Tableland Rock). It is an incredibly powerful and inspiring place. The reference shots were taken very early morning as summer was fading.
The shadows draping the body are made by one of the many Banksia trees that seemingly spring from the rock. These banksias endure such harsh conditions- ferocious winds, scorching heat, including the tremendous blackening from recent bushfires. They survive still.
 
A layering technique was used here. Many layers to build up the oil paint to replicate skin and rock. These are seemingly different textures, but using the same technique, I maintain the human body and the land are one and the same.  The laying on of paint is rapid, to capture my energy through brushwork, but the layering process is lengthy. The whole is a mediative dance.
 
The painting’s backdrop is Lincoln Rock in the Blue Mountains, a place that is one of the first to receive the morning light. Its views stretch out over the Jamison Valley, encompassing Narrow Neck and Mt Solitary.
Lincoln’s rock is named after Lincoln Hall (1955 – 2012) an  intrepid, Blue Mountains-based explorer who, in 2006 collapsed- and presumed dead- spent the night on Mt Everest; he was found the next day, sitting up, crossed legged:  Hall said to the walkers approaching him “I imagine you're surprised to see me here.”
 
 
This is a painting about resilience and strength. 
The resilience of the land, the resilience of our bodies. The strength of the rock, the play of light and shadow over the body. There is not one without the other- we are inextricably linked.
The rock formations you see in the painting are some of the very few undulations in the rock, the rest of which is completely flat (giving it its other name Tableland Rock). It is an incredibly powerful and inspiring place. The reference shots were taken very early morning as summer was fading.
The shadows draping the body are made by the banksia plants seemingly growing out of the rock itself. Inspiring resilience.

22 x 30.5cm / 9 x 12 inches
Avavilable for sale $1500


This painting is a love letter to the landscape of Australia, and in particular, Tasmania. Many plants have been introduced to Tasmania over the years and have become, not only much loved familiar faces across the landscape, but they have become integral participants in the state’s economy. Depicted in this painting are botanical elements such as the poppy, hops, barley, dandelion and apple. The portrait is a tribute to the many human immigrants that have also made Tasmania home.
Available for sale $1500

50 x 80cm / 20 x 31 inches: Available for sale: $4000
This painting was a finalist in the Calleen Art Award 2024
Artist statement
This painting, a self-portrait, reflects my experience as a classroom teacher over the past 20 years.
 
The post-it notes on my skirt and top reveal many of the roles we, as teachers, are asked to fulfil.
 
The red tape around my legs and ankles depicts the compliance measures teachers have to meet each day, to justify each task we undertake.
 
There are two piles of books in the painting: those books on the right hand side of the painting show the subjects / ideas I believe are vital to teach- and would love to teach-  if given time in the crowded curriculum. The pile of books on the left depicts the paperwork and other compliance measures one must wade through. These have very little to do with teaching, but nonetheless, take up 90% of a teacher’s time.
 
The odd socks, represent a day when I was so exhausted that I accidently wore odd shoes to school. Although I didn’t notice, the children certainly did…
 
On the back wall are those inspirational ideas and quotes I hope to inspire in the children in my care. (But you may also notice amongst those pinned notes, slightly hidden, other challenging incidents I have had to deal, with as a teacher …)

60 x 90 cm / 24 x 36 inches
Available for sale $5000
This painting was winner of the People's Choice Award at the Blake Prize 2024

Artist Statement
One’s spiritual / religious lineage is a fundamental link to our past. The vast devotional body of work, ephemeral and extant, that our ancestors investigated, explored and gifted us, exists in the hope that we would, in times of conflict be held secure in belonging & community.
This work, Sacred Botanical, is an exploration of my spiritual lineage.  Depicted throughout this work are the sacred plants of the Bible, along with plants sacred to the Druids and early Celtic Christians.
The botanical plants, in their lacing and intertwining on the canvas, are designed to form the ghosted image of the Chi-Rho (☧)- one of the oldest known Christograms.

The botanical plants depicted, sacred to the Druids and early Celtic Christians, are the Yew, Ivy, Oak & Mistletoe.
The sacred plants depicted from the Bible are the Anemone, Rose, Madonna lily, Grape & Iris.
Each plant had its own sacred meaning and use to the ancestors.

The olive branch has come to be understood as a universal symbol of peace (ancient Greek), and was added, as the painting evolved, as a fervent wish for peace in this time of current conflict.