One of the creative issues with using handmade paper is it can be fairly unpredictable. This was a Spanish handmade paper which from the look and feel of it I had really high hopes… unfortunately in practical terms it didn’t work the way I expected. The watercolour would bleed everywhere if it touched any other […]
Project Type: Birds
Rains Coming 2021
One of the first old wive’s tales I was told about when we first moved up here was that when the black cockatoos flew over it was going to rain. The amount of rain depended on how many cockatoos and whether they were flying low and screeching and whether they were heading inland or towards […]
The Birds and the Bees 2021
I love painting our native birds, but I must admit that I have always wanted to paint the flying jewels which are hummingbirds. My Quixotic and Exotic exhibition was the perfect opportunity to do this. These colourful little birds with a selection of our native bees attracted to the passionflowers are the basis of this […]
Superbowl Lesser Sooty Owl 2021
One of my favourite pieces from my Quixotic and Exotic exhibition is this lesser sooty owl. Is he a superb owl or is he perched upon a super bowl. You decide! If you look closely you may notice the little American football I added to the porcelain bowl design… Superbowl Lesser Sooty Owl 2021 Watercolour […]
Tea Cock 2021
Another peacock painting in my Quixotic and Exotic exhibition at Michael Reid Sydney. This peacock is holding his favourite teapot, featuring, surprise, surprise, a peacock! Making it, in my mind, a teacock… get it? I will show myself out. Tea Cock 2021 Watercolour on handmade 100% cotton rag paper 76cm x 111cm Private collection
Pride of Peacocks 2021
This was the centrepiece of my second solo show, “Quixotic and Exotic” at Michael Reid Sydney and possibly one of the largest pieces I have ever painted. It features a beautiful male peacock and his collection of peacock plates. There are famous plates from the Met and the V&A in his collection, because being a […]
Bowl of Mandarins 2021
This piece was in my second solo show at Michael Reid Sydney, Quixotic and Exotic. It features a mandarin tree, a mandarin duck and a Mason’s Mandarin Ironstone teacup. Fruity! Bowl of Mandarins 2021 Watercolour on handmade 100% cotton rag paper 80cm x 57cm Private collection
Birdie Willow 2020
This piece was also part of my reimagined willow plates for the Michael Reid Murrurundi and Country Style magazine exhibition The Country Table in March 2021. This Booths Real Old Willow was reinvented with Australian native birds.Birdie Willow 2020 Watercolour on handmade 100% cotton rag paper 50cm round Private collection
Fairy Tales 2020
Fairy Tales is a reference to so many of the fairy tales we read as a child where the princess expected any potential suitors to fulfill a number of ridiculous quests. In this version we have a generic female wren, because anyone who does any bird watching knows that the girl wrens are almost indistinguishable […]
Cinderella 2020
Cinderella is the ultimate rags to riches story. In my re-interpretation, I have shown a Rothschild Slipper Orchid, the most expensive and desirable orchid in the world, which is the perfect slipper for my Cinderella story. Taking other key elements in the tale I have also shown a red-backed fairy godfather/wren and a little hopping […]
Emperor’s New Clothes (Gouldian Weaver Finches) 2020
I have painted two Emperor’s New Clothes this year, this is the Australian version. It features an Emperor Gum Moth, who has been tricked into flying off naked by the weavers, in this case, Gouldian Finches which are sometimes listed as being part of the weaver bird family… and with their fabulous colourful I am […]
Nectar of the Gods 2020
I will be honest, this year it has been quite difficult to find things which were uplifting to paint. Don’t get me wrong, I still love where I live, but it has been a challenging Summer. All the plants and animals where suffering through the drought and dust and smoke… and then our grevillea robusta […]