People often ask why I paint flowers. The answer has changed over the years.
When I first began painting Australian flora, I was drawn to the colours, shapes and textures. The intricate details of a banksia cone, the delicate fringe of a gum blossom, the sculptural beauty of a seed pod. As an artist, I found endless inspiration in the extraordinary plants that grow around us. But over time, I realised I wasn’t really painting flowers. I was painting wonder.
Many of the plants I paint are ordinary sights in Western Australia. We pass them on walks, see them growing beside roads, or overlook them completely. Yet when you stop and truly look, they reveal remarkable beauty.
A gum blossom becomes a burst of fireworks. A banksia becomes a study in resilience. A seed pod becomes a sculpture.Painting allows me to slow down and spend time with these small moments that might otherwise be missed.
My journey as an artist has taught me that beauty isn’t reserved for grand landscapes or extraordinary events. Often it is found in the quiet details of everyday life. A single flower. A fallen leaf. The light catching the edge of a petal. The older I get, the more important this feels. Life moves quickly. We rush from one responsibility to the next, often forgetting to notice what is right in front of us. Painting gives me permission to pause, and my hope is that my artwork invites others to pause too.
Each painting begins with observation, but it ends with connection. A collector may see a banksia and remember a childhood holiday. Someone else may be reminded of a loved one’s garden. Another may simply feel a sense of calm. Those connections are what matter most to me. While my paintings feature flowers, leaves and seed pods, they are really about paying attention to the world around us and finding joy in the ordinary.
Because sometimes the most beautiful things are the ones we almost walked past.seed pod becomes a sculpture. Painting allows me to slow down and spend time with these small moments that might otherwise be missed.
My journey as an artist has taught me that beauty isn’t reserved for grand landscapes or extraordinary events. Often it is found in the quiet details of everyday life. A single flower. A fallen leaf. The light catching the edge of a petal. The older I get, the more important this feels.
Life moves quickly. We rush from one responsibility to the next, often forgetting to notice what is right in front of us. Painting gives me permission to pause, and my hope is that my artwork invites others to pause too.
Each painting begins with observation, but it ends with connection. A collector may see a banksia and remember a childhood holiday. Someone else may be reminded of a loved one’s garden. Another may simply feel a sense of calm. Those connections are what matter most to me.
While my paintings feature flowers, leaves and seed pods, they are really about paying attention to the world around us and finding joy in the ordinary.
Because sometimes the most beautiful things are the ones we almost walked past.
