'Under The Blackwood Tree'

I first started selling work through FIND Collective in 2012 as part of their established retail mentorship program - and have continued as a member since. The supportive network of like-minded people and the opportunity to sell work on an ongoing basis while juggling other employment has been fundamental in the continuation of my practice over the last 10+ years, and I am so grateful. I would not have survived with some semblance of a creative practice still intact - certainly post-COVID - were it not for FIND.

My exhibition works, ‘Under The Blackwood Tree’, are a tribute to a beautiful Blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon) that stands by a gate in the middle of a paddock on what was my partner’s family farm, in NW Tasmania. For 150+ years the property belonged to his family – and for the last 11 years has felt like home to me – despite not actually living there. There’s something incredibly special about the fresh air, freedom, familiarity, and comfort that I feel on every visit – the sense of knowing a place and seeing it change through the seasons.

I admire the Blackwood on every visit - roots staunchly planted on a gradual slope, weathering wind and rain and providing shade for the stock that settle under its branches. These works are my way of holding on to a tiny part of the natural beauty that makes the place so special. A way to cope with the process of letting go - by holding on to precious memories.