As a devoted conservationist, I felt called to capture the spirit of my countless wanderings through our breathtakingly diverse South West landscape, creating a collection of wildflower paintings that hold the colour, character, and fragile essence of those cherished walks.
Our south-west corner is a world-renowned biodiversity hotspot, home to more than 8,000 plant species. Over 350 of these are native orchids, and an extraordinary 95% exist nowhere else on Earth. My deep desire to capture and record this rare flora soon revealed a more sobering truth — this precious region faces ongoing threats from habitat loss and degradation. Western Australia’s native plants depend on a delicate balance of climate, ancient soils, fire cycles, and intricate ecological partnerships to survive, and many of these remarkable species are now under increasing pressure.
Walking with Wildflowers is a collection of paintings that traces my journey in search of the rare and intricate flora that quietly flourish along the Cape to Cape region. My hope is that my art gently awakens a deeper appreciation for our extraordinary region and the delicate, interconnected relationships that quietly sustain its life and allow it to flourish.
I graduated in 1999 with a Bachelor of Arts in Design, which led to a fulfilling career in graphic design. In the early 2000s, I exhibited my work in several galleries before family commitments gently pressed pause on my art practice. Even so, my creative spirit has always found expression, inspiring me to explore a wide range of mediums.
Five years ago, after being diagnosed with plantar fasciitis, I began walking gently to rebuild strength in my feet. Each week I returned to the same stretch of the Cape to Cape Track, and what started as rehabilitation soon became a quiet obsession as I noticed the subtle, seasonal shifts in the flora around me. I photographed my favourite species along the way and began experimenting with watercolour. While the botanical studies I created were delicate and detailed, they felt as though they were missing a deeper emotional layer. I longed to develop a style that felt more personal and expressive.
This led me to explore textured backgrounds using natural pigments such as copper and iron, before layering acrylic, watercolour, ink, and fountain pen onto canvas. My current body of work brings together botanical illustration, storytelling, and the spirit of the Australian bush, blending intricacy with atmosphere.